![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_252117655-bcaa.jpg\")
\n\t\tKush is a a psychoactive blend of addictive substances (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tKush is a a psychoactive blend of addictive substances (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n
The arrest of a British tourist for allegedly smuggling \u00a31.2 million worth of a deadly drug has sparked new warnings about the psychoactive substance.<\/p>\n
Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south\u00a0London<\/a>, was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last Monday after allegedly attempting to bring in 46kg (101lbs) of Kush hidden in her luggage, worth \u00a31 million.<\/p>\n This cheap synthetic drug \u2013 that even contains ground-up human bones \u2013 at the centre of her detention has since raised concerns among experts.<\/p>\n \t\t Kush is a psychoactive blend of addictive substances. <\/p>\n It starts off with a plant leaf, which is then sprayed with a mixture made of synthetic cannabinoids, formaldehyde, fentanyl.<\/p>\n The drug even contains ground-up human bones, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n When smoked, it causes users to feel euphoria, as well as sending them to sleep.<\/p>\n People have killed as they fell asleep while walking, hit their heads against hard surfaces and stumbled into moving traffic.<\/p>\n Since 2022, an even more addictive and deadly variant of kush has taken hold.<\/p>\n This contains synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which are up to 25 times more potent than fentanyl.<\/p>\n The drug\u2019s epicenter is in West Africa, in particular Sierra Leone.<\/p>\n \t\t Testing there has shown that over 50 per cent of samples contain nitazenes.<\/p>\n Dr Kars de Bruijne, who has written a recent report on the drug, explained why this new form of kush is even more sinister.<\/p>\n He told MailOnline<\/a>: \u2018It\u2019s an opioid so it\u2019s similar to heroin, but it\u2019s very strong and it\u2019s deadly because even a little more than a milligram too much is able to kill someone.<\/p>\n \u2018What we\u2019ve seen in Sierra Leone is that it is overdoses which kill.\u2019<\/p>\n The drug containing mashed up human bones may have started as a rumour, but it might have become reality in some cases.<\/p>\n Dr de Bruijne explained: \u2018I\u2019ve 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.\u2019<\/p>\n The drug can also find itself mixed with other substances such as rat poison as it moves through the market.<\/p>\n Why is kush so dangerous?<\/p>\n The psychoactive drug can give way to an unpredictable and potentially mix of symptoms.<\/p>\n \t\t Nitazenes can cause an intense euphoria and relaxation, while synthetic cannabinoids can alter your consciousness.<\/p>\n It is the nitazenes which can be so fatal for users, as it is exceptionally addictive and strong.<\/p>\n This can often lead to dangerous overdoses, which has already killed thousands in West Africa.<\/p>\n However a group of toxicologists from Imperial College, London also said that nitazenes were contributing to an increase in overdose deaths in the UK.<\/p>\n Another factor is that it is almost impossible to know exactly what is in the kush being bought.<\/p>\n All kinds of unknown chemicals and substances could have been added into the drug during the supply chain, causing potentially adverse reactions.<\/p>\n Where does kush come from?<\/p>\n Kush emerged in Sierra Leone but had quickly spread across countries in the region.<\/p>\n Liberia, Guinea, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, have seen devastating consequences from the spread of kush.<\/p>\n \t\t 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.<\/p>\n The raw ingredients are often imported from China and mixed in-country.<\/p>\n However pre-made kush is imported in from Europe, in particular the UK and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n Dr de Bruijne said: \u2018I\u2019ve been speaking to people in that market to serious levels; they all pointed to the UK as the area of origin.<\/p>\n \u2018When you speak to people in the port in Sierra Leone, they often point to or mention the UK.\u2019<\/p>\n What has happened to Charlotte May Lee<\/strong>?<\/p>\n Charlotte is a part-time beautician who previously worked as a cabin crew member for TUI.<\/p>\n She was arrested after stepping off a flight landing in Sri Lanka last weekend,\u00a0The Sun<\/a>\u00a0reports.<\/p>\n In two suitcases, police were said to have found nearly 50kg of Kush inside dozens of large vacuum-packed bags.<\/p>\n \t\t Reports in Sri Lanka says she remains in custody while the case is being investigated.<\/p>\n Charlotte is currently being held in a local jail, Negombo Prison, while her case makes its way through the court system.<\/p>\n If convicted, legal sources in the country say she could serve her sentence in the country\u2019s largest, maximum security prison, the\u00a0Daily Mail<\/a>\u00a0reports.<\/p>\n Welikada Prison has previously been described as \u2018hell\u2019 \u2013 particularly for female inmates \u2013 with maggots found in the food and rats scurrying between cells.<\/p>\n The British Foreign Office said: \u2018We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.\u2019<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow![\"Charlotte](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_252345992-d925-e1747774890756.jpg\")
\n\t\tCharlotte May Lee is a British former TUI cabin crew member who has been arrested in a Sri Lanka (Picture: Facebook)
\nWhat is kush?<\/p>\n![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_252117704-e9a7.jpg\")
\n\t\tA young man smokes Kush (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_252117657-dd4a.jpg\")
\n\t\tKush leaves people lethargic, desperate and ill (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_252122287-fcc4.jpg\")
\n\t\tExperts say pre-processed kush is primarily imported into West Africa from European countries<\/p>\n
\n\t\tReports says Charlotte remains in custody while the case is being investigated (Picture: Facebook)<\/p>\n
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