A British woman who is facing decades behind bars in Sri Lanka after being accused of trying to smuggle in over £1.2 million worth of drugs has now reportedly claimed a man 'set her up'.
Charlotte May Lee, a 21-year-old former flight attendant from Surrey, UK, was arrested by Sri Lankan police upon her arrival to Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday 12 May.
It is claimed that she was discovered with two suitcases full of drugs including 46kg of kush, a synthetic drug which mix of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol and formaldehyde, The Guardian reports.
The youngster had initially travelled to the South Asian country under the vague premise of meeting a man there, but she now faces potentially 25 years inside the 'hellhole' prison near Colombo, which has seen regular riots in recent decades.
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And now, as her court case continues, Lee has reportedly revealed some more claims about a man who she says bought her the plane ticket to Sri Lanka and handed her the suitcases, telling her that they contained clothing.
He is also supposed to have told her that Sri Lanka was a 'lovely place for a holiday' and that they would have a 'wonderful time' together but he had to first remain in Bangkok to see a friend, before joining her.
According to The Mirror, a police source said: "This woman is in a lot of trouble and will not help herself by failing to tell the truth. The investigation is only just beginning and we will be looking closely at her previous visit, who she was with and where she went.”
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The Brit has spoken to the Daily Mail from behind bars and thinks she's pinpointed the moment she believes that the drugs were 'planted' in her suitcases.
She said: "I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff. I had been in Bangkok the night before and had already packed my clothes because my flight was really early.
"So I left my bags in the hotel room and headed for the night out. As they were already packed I didn't check them again in the morning.
"They must have planted it then."
If convicted, Lee could face between 20-25 years in prison where, a family member has claimed, she is currently 'rotting'.
James Moorhouse