Ms Culley has been accused of trying to move a large amount of cannabis into Georgia – a matter of days after she was reported missing thousands of miles away in Thailand
Bella May Culley, the Brit teen facing life behind bars after she allegedly tried to move 14kg of cannabis into a former Soviet nation slammed people who take drugs as “s*** on my shoe” in an unearthed TikTok.
The 18-year-old from from Billingham, County Durham, became the subject of an intense international manhunt after she was reported missing by her family during a Thailand holiday last week, only to turn up a few days later detained 4,000 miles away in Tblisi, Georgia. Local authorities alleged she had tried to bring 34 bags of cannabis into the country – approximately 14 kilograms worth of illegal product. The teen has previously taken a hard line stance against drugs on social media, suggesting in an unearthed post that they were a line she could never cross.
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Posting on TikTok Ms Culley said she “will literally be up for anything” but drew a hard limit at smoking or doing drugs. She wrote: “I will literally be up for anything. But if you ask me to smoke a fag or a vape or do any drug I will look at you like you are s*** on my shoe.”
Her mum also previously said she wasn’t a fan of the “party lifestyle”, having chosen to take her trip to Thailand in a spur-of-the-moment decision instead of following a friend to Spain. Lyanne Kennedy said her daughter “doesn’t drink that much and isn’t really into the party lifestyle”.
Lyanne Kennedy, 44, told The Sun her daughter had originally intended to go just to the Philippines, but had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to hop to Thailand after a friend split off for Spain. She had wanted to “meet up with some friends” she made on a previous trip, but Ms Kennedy said she didn’t “trust some of the boys over there”.
But, according to local Georgian outlets, she has been charged with a raft of serious drug-related offences which could land her a decades-long stint behind bars. Her charges include illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia.
The country’s Interior Ministry said it “envisions up to 20 years – or life imprisonment” for the alleged crimes. If she is convicted and does have to serve out a sentence, she could end up giving birth in prison, as the teen has told her lawyer she is pregnant.
Ia Todua, Ms Culley’s state-appointed lawyer, said the “terrified and confused” teen had “told the court and later me” that she was pregnant. She said: “This was her first time in the court and she was terrified and confused, kind of lost. Because of that we decided to exercise the right to remain silent.
“In a few days, after we’ve had consultations and discussions, we’ll decide whether and how to adjust this position. New lawyers, private ones, both Georgian and British, will soon be involved and more details will be told. She told the court and later me as well that she is pregnant”.
Ms Culley was allegedly caught carrying 14 kilograms of cannabis into Georgia when she was flagged during a routine scanner check at Tblisi International Airport. The inspection allegedly revealed “34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana were found in the passenger’s bag, as well as 20 packages of hashish” according to local media.
Cleveland Police have confirmed an “18-year-old woman from Billingham” was arrested “on suspicion of drugs offences and that she remains in their custody”. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told the Mirror: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia and are in contact with the local authorities.”
It is understood her dad is flying to Georgia today, and that there will be a medical examination to check her condition, including apparent pregnancy. A pre-court hearing has been scheduled for July 1.