British ex-air hostess Charlotte May Lee moved from Negombo prison after deadly riots

Mixed · 2Charlotte May Lee, a 22-year-old former TUI air stewardess, has been moved out of Negombo prison, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, to the nearby Kuliyappitiya jail, according to the Daily Mirror, which cited a source. 1 2 Mixed · 2The move follows riots at Negombo earlier this year. Both papers say 30 people died: 20 inmates and 10 prison officers (the Mail says the violence was in July and lasted two days). 1 2 Mixed · 2The Mirror reported that the violence was reportedly triggered by a clash over an inmate informing on a drug trafficking operation inside, with prisoners alleged to have grabbed guards' guns and climbed onto rooftops. The Mail said it was a fight between two gangs at a jail built for 650 inmates but holding roughly 2,400. 1 2

Mixed · 2Lee was arrested at Colombo airport in May last year after authorities allegedly found 46kg of synthetic cannabis (kush), reportedly worth £1.2m, in vacuum-sealed bags in her luggage. She says she had 'no idea' the drugs were there and claims they were planted during a trip to Bangkok. 1 2 Mixed · 2After nearly 18 months in custody she has not been formally charged or indicted, and she faces up to 25 years in jail if convicted. The Mail adds that she appeared at Negombo Magistrates Court last year accused of possessing and importing illegal drugs, and was given a detention order. 1 2 Mixed · 2The source quoted by the Mirror said Lee was traumatised by the riots, is 'coping well', has learned the local language to talk to other prisoners, and is 'desperate to get home'. She previously described sharing a cramped cell with five other women and sleeping on a thin mattress on a concrete floor. 1 2

Left · 1Her lawyer, Sampath Perera, said detention abroad can be challenging because of language, legal procedures and limited family contact, and that bail and other matters rest with the Sri Lankan courts. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said it is supporting a British woman arrested in Sri Lanka and remains in contact with her family and local authorities. 1 Mixed · 2The Mirror placed the case alongside other young Britons held abroad, citing government figures that arrests of young British nationals recruited as drug mules rose from just over 80 in 2023 to more than 340 in 2025. The Mail added background on Sri Lankan prison overcrowding and past riots at Welikada prison, where it said Lee could be sent if convicted. 1 2 Right · 1The reason for the transfer is attributed only to unnamed sources; neither paper quotes Sri Lankan prison authorities, and the Mail's account of where she was previously held is not consistent across its own text. 2