Kush is a a psychoactive blend of addictive substances (Picture: AP)
The arrest of a British tourist for allegedly smuggling £1.2 million worth of a deadly drug has sparked new warnings about the psychoactive substance.
Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last Monday after allegedly attempting to bring in 46kg (101lbs) of Kush hidden in her luggage, worth £1 million.
This cheap synthetic drug – that even contains ground-up human bones – at the centre of her detention has since raised concerns among experts.
Charlotte May Lee is a British former TUI cabin crew member who has been arrested in a Sri Lanka (Picture: Facebook)
What is kush?
Kush is a psychoactive blend of addictive substances.
It starts off with a plant leaf, which is then sprayed with a mixture made of synthetic cannabinoids, formaldehyde, fentanyl.
The drug even contains ground-up human bones, according to multiple reports.
When smoked, it causes users to feel euphoria, as well as sending them to sleep.
People have killed as they fell asleep while walking, hit their heads against hard surfaces and stumbled into moving traffic.
Since 2022, an even more addictive and deadly variant of kush has taken hold.
This contains synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which are up to 25 times more potent than fentanyl.
The drug’s epicenter is in West Africa, in particular Sierra Leone.
A young man smokes Kush (Picture: AP)
Testing there has shown that over 50 per cent of samples contain nitazenes.
Dr Kars de Bruijne, who has written a recent report on the drug, explained why this new form of kush is even more sinister.
He told MailOnline: ‘It’s an opioid so it’s similar to heroin, but it’s very strong and it’s deadly because even a little more than a milligram too much is able to kill someone.
‘What we’ve seen in Sierra Leone is that it is overdoses which kill.’
The drug containing mashed up human bones may have started as a rumour, but it might have become reality in some cases.
Dr de Bruijne explained: ‘I’ve also been speaking to people in the judicial system, and they have said that there is an increase in cemeteries where graves have been opened.’
The drug can also find itself mixed with other substances such as rat poison as it moves through the market.
Why is kush so dangerous?
The psychoactive drug can give way to an unpredictable and potentially mix of symptoms.
Kush leaves people lethargic, desperate and ill (Picture: AP)
Nitazenes can cause an intense euphoria and relaxation, while synthetic cannabinoids can alter your consciousness.
It is the nitazenes which can be so fatal for users, as it is exceptionally addictive and strong.
This can often lead to dangerous overdoses, which has already killed thousands in West Africa.
However a group of toxicologists from Imperial College, London also said that nitazenes were contributing to an increase in overdose deaths in the UK.
Another factor is that it is almost impossible to know exactly what is in the kush being bought.
All kinds of unknown chemicals and substances could have been added into the drug during the supply chain, causing potentially adverse reactions.
Where does kush come from?
Kush emerged in Sierra Leone but had quickly spread across countries in the region.
Liberia, Guinea, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, have seen devastating consequences from the spread of kush.
Experts say pre-processed kush is primarily imported into West Africa from European countries
Other parts of the world, including Europe and the UK are seen as one of the main importers of Kush into West Africa, according to experts.
The raw ingredients are often imported from China and mixed in-country.
However pre-made kush is imported in from Europe, in particular the UK and the Netherlands.
Dr de Bruijne said: ‘I’ve been speaking to people in that market to serious levels; they all pointed to the UK as the area of origin.
‘When you speak to people in the port in Sierra Leone, they often point to or mention the UK.’
What has happened to Charlotte May Lee?
Charlotte is a part-time beautician who previously worked as a cabin crew member for TUI.
She was arrested after stepping off a flight landing in Sri Lanka last weekend, The Sun reports.
In two suitcases, police were said to have found nearly 50kg of Kush inside dozens of large vacuum-packed bags.
Reports says Charlotte remains in custody while the case is being investigated (Picture: Facebook)
Reports in Sri Lanka says she remains in custody while the case is being investigated.
Charlotte is currently being held in a local jail, Negombo Prison, while her case makes its way through the court system.
If convicted, legal sources in the country say she could serve her sentence in the country’s largest, maximum security prison, the Daily Mail reports.
Welikada Prison has previously been described as ‘hell’ – particularly for female inmates – with maggots found in the food and rats scurrying between cells.
The British Foreign Office said: ‘We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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