Shocking details about life inside a 'hellhole' prison in Sri Lanka have been revealed, as a British woman faces the prospect of spending decades 'rotting' after being found with drugs worth over £1 million.
Charlotte May Lee, from Chipstead, Surrey, UK, was arrested by Sri Lankan police upon her arrival to Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday 12 May.
She was allegedly discovered in possession of around 46kg of 'kush', a psychoactive blend of illegal substances which has even been found to have human bones inside before.
Being found in possession of a large amount of drugs while abroad can have some seriously severe consequences, as the Derbyshire dad in Dubai sentenced to 40 years found out recently, and Ms Lee is now facing the prospect of 20 to 25 years in the Welikada prison in the capital Colombo, which is the country's largest maximum security jail.
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The former flight attendant is said to be 'very scared' according to her family, after authorities discovered the £1.2 million haul in her suitcase. It's currently unclear why or how she ended up with so many drugs.
And, if the 21-year-old is found guilty in court, she will likely spend much of the next three decades behind bars, dealing with some of the horrific conditions the prison has to offer.
Riots seem regular, with life said to be particularly hellish for female prisoners inside the jail. Back in 2012, an anonymous source said: "We are treated as far less than human.
"About 150 of us sleep in a cell designed for 75 people. An open drain infested with rats runs the perimeter of the room. Recently, one of the inmates was bitten and had to be rushed to the hospital for an anti-rabies shot.
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"We eat, bathe, sleep, wake up and begin all over again. There are no attempts at rehabilitation. Women here just waste away."
As many as 27 inmates were left dead and 40 others injured in the infamous 2012 riots at the jail, while further rampages broke out in 2018 over court date protests and in 2020 when prisoners demanded better conditions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
After the 21-year-old, who was training to become a beautician, appeared in court on Monday, a legal source told MailOnline: "She arrived at court and she seemed completely lost. She was crying a lot and was all on her own. It looked like she didn't have any idea about what was going on. She will either have to pay a fine or she will be sent to Welikada Prison in Colombo."
Ms Lee isn't the only young British woman facing severe consequences for alleged drug smuggling abroad, as 18-year-old Bella Culley is also currently detained in Georgia after being discovered in possession of illegal substances.
James Moorhouse