An 18-year-old British student, Bella Culley, who had been missing in Thailand, has been located over 4,000 miles away in Georgia, facing accusations related to drug offenses.
During her trip along the well-trodden backpacking path in Southeast Asia, Bella began sharing photos on social media starting April 28, capturing moments from her journey, which commenced in the Philippines.
After island-hopping in the Philippines, Bella made her way to Thailand on May 3. It was during her stay in Thailand that her family last heard from her, until she was apprehended by authorities in Georgia, an Eastern European nation.
Reports indicate that Culley, who claims she is pregnant, has been charged with illegally purchasing, possessing, and importing significant amounts of drugs, including marijuana.
The details surrounding her travel from Thailand to Georgia remain unclear.
Ia Todua, Culley’s state-appointed attorney, confirmed that Bella did not speak during a hearing before being transferred to a same-sex pre-trial detention facility in Rustavi, Georgia, roughly 30km from Tbilisi, the nation’s capital.
Culley’s legal representative noted that she arrived in Georgia on May 10 and was kept at a temporary detention center until her trial on May 13.
Todua commented: “She was so clenched, she is a child, in my personal opinion. When she was explained the essence of the accusation she was worried to speak.”
“When we asked her to testify at that moment she decided to choose silence,” Todua added.
On May 12, authorities charged Culley with “the illegal purchase and possession of a particularly large amount of narcotics, the illegal purchase and possession of the narcotic drug marijuana, and the illegal importation of the drug into Georgia,” according to the Georgian police.
The drugs were discovered in a bag belonging to Culley at Tbilisi International Airport.
In a statement, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated: “Law enforcement officers, as a result of defendant’s luggage inspection at Tbilisi International Airport, seized a particularly large amount of the narcotic drug marijuana, up to 12 kilograms and 2.068 kg of the narcotic drug hashish as evidence.”
Meanwhile, a representative of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the UK said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Should she be found guilty, Culley faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to Georgian authorities.
Ironically, prior to her travels, Culley joked about engaging in ‘criminal activities’ in a TikTok video she uploaded, where she captioned: “Blonde or brunette? Erm how about we get up to criminal activities side by side like Bonnie n’ Clyde making heavy figures and f**king on balconies all over the world.”