What began as a backpacking journey for a British teenager has taken a dramatic turn after her arrest in Georgia.
Bella Culley, hailing from Billingham in the UK, was on a trip across Thailand when her family became concerned and reported her missing on Tuesday, May 13, having not heard from her for several days. Prior to her arrival in Thailand on May 3, Culley had been traveling through the Philippines last month.
In a surprising twist, Culley’s family discovered that the 18-year-old was detained in Georgia, over 4,000 miles away from her last known location in Thailand.
The teenager was apprehended at Tbilisi International Airport. Reports from BBC News indicate that she was found with 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish in her possession. Georgian police have since charged her with the illegal purchase, possession, and importation of significant quantities of narcotics.
According to The Independent, Culley is an 18-year-old student from County Durham, UK, with aspirations to study nursing upon returning home from her travels.
Her mother revealed to Teesside Live that Culley had traveled to the Philippines with a friend, while her companion chose to visit Ibiza instead.
It has also been reported that Culley is pregnant, as she mentioned during a recent hearing in Georgia, according to her state-appointed lawyer, Ia Todua.
The lawyer stated: “This was her first time in 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.”
The prosecutors have indicated they require two months to compile evidence concerning Culley and the accusations against her before proceeding to trial.
Todua explained: “They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from [the narcotics] and was she planning to hand it over to someone.
“That’s what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone.”
Should she be found guilty, Culley faces the possibility of a life sentence (20 years). She would serve time in Georgia’s sole women’s prison, Prison No.5.
She is currently under preliminary detention until July 1 as investigations continue.
In a statement referenced by The Independent, the Georgian interior ministry stated: “B.K, born in 2006, is charged with 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 committed crime envisions up to 20 years – or life imprisonment.”
The British Foreign Office has not provided extensive details on the situation beyond indicating that they are “supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia”.
According to Mail Online, Culley’s parents, Neil and Kerry Culley, traveled to Georgia on Wednesday, May 14, but have faced challenges in meeting their daughter due to paperwork issues.