How Thai gangsters are luring naive Brit teens like Bella into drug mule trade in exchange for boozy paradise holidays
The cases of trafficking suspects Bella Culley, 18, and Charlotte Lee, 21, ramped up fears gangs have launched unprecedented recruitment drives in search of huge profits.
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And experts believe the twin arrests within hours of each other could herald a future flood - leaving parents across the UK facing their worst nightmares.
Gangs run by British criminals based in Thailand have for years relied on postal deliveries of drug stashes from the Far East but have been rocked by a crackdown.
And they are now tempting potential mules with free paradise holidays, unlimited booze, drugs and a £2,000 payout if they agree to carry their illicit wares back home.
Kingpins based in hotspots including Thailand's Koh Samui are offering bigger rewards than ever to vulnerable and impressionable youngsters after profit margins rocketed.
Since cannabis was legalised in Thailand in 2018 it has become so cheap on the streets that gangs who export to the UK can make an astonishing 3,000 per cent mark-up.
British and Thai authorities joined forces to launch the Operation Chaophraya anti-mule drive last July and have been stunned by the scale of the recruitment campaign.
An incredible 800 people - including 50 Britons - have been held in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling since last July, with more than nine tons of cannabis seized.
In March a series of arrests at Koh Samui Airport exposed a sophisticated cannabis smuggling operation using mostly British tourists to ferry suitcases of narcotics.
Over four days immigration police arrested 13 foreign nationals attempting to smuggle £1.7 million to the UK - where it would have been peddled for far higher prices.
Investigators have revealed Thai gangs are now routinely attempting to confuse border officials by using fresh-faced Brits who fly to other countries before carrying drugs back home.
Brit 'drug smuggler' Bella Culley 'starving' in ex-Soviet hell prison - as she reveals pregnancy craving to celeb lawyer
Teenage travellers of the Instagram generation are being dazzled by the faux glamour of the luxury lifestyle offered by manipulative gangsters.
And too many are blind to the enormous, potentially life-changing risks they are taking, law enforcement chiefs say.
Banged up
Bubbly backpacker Bella jetted off for fun in the sun then left her family frantic with worry when she went missing in Thailand two weeks ago.
But there was little celebration when she was found - 4,000 miles away from the Thai capital in a court in the ex-Soviet state of Georgia accused of attempting to smuggle cannabis worth £200,000.
Bella, of Billingham, County Durham, is facing a sentence of up to life in prison.
She went on to tell the court tearfully that she was having a baby.
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Her family say she flew to the Far East on holiday to meet a mystery man - believed to be the baby's father - called 'Ross or Russ'.
He introduced her to Brits from the north west of England suspected of running drug mules from Thailand.
The naive teenager joked online with the mystery man of 'Bonnie and Clyde' hijinks in the Far East while showing off cash wads and was pictured smoking a spliff.
It's hard to imagine what Bella's dad Niel (ckd) must be feeling right now as he battles red tape trying to find out how on earth his daughter wound up in Tbilisi, pregnant and in jail.
I've spoken to him several times and can see he's a man at his wit's end in a situation made worse by his inability to make sense of it.
The 49-year-old oil rig electrician looks haunted as he paces around outside his hotel in the picture postcard capital waiting for news while puffing on cigarettes.
He wants answers but is being advised by the British Embassy to speak to no one and appears totally baffled by his daughter's plight.
His only legal point of contact so far is Georgian 'taxi rank' legal aid lawyer Ia Todua.
At the time of writing, it's believed Bella has yet to explain how or why she got here to her own lawyer - let alone her family.
Celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili - a former contestant of Georgia's Strictly Come Dancing - saw Bella face-to-face in jail on Monday and came out convinced she the youngster is a "victim" and has been manipulated.
Terrifying fate
Bella's flight took off from the same Bangkok airport within hours of another pretty British trafficking suspect arrested with £1.2 million of a cannabis-related drug in Sri Lanka.
Former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee, 21, was in a gruesome Sri Lankan jail cell last night awaiting a court appearance.
It's still unclear whether this is the fate that has befallen Bella or Charlotte as both languish in cells.
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But inquiries I've made since arriving to work on the story should serve as a warning to all young British trippers looking for backpacking adventures in the Far East.
Every young Brit abroad in the holiday hotspots this summer should take heed and be wary of strangers offering gifts - and promises of free fun that seem too good to be true.
A crime source based in the UK with knowledge of the growing threat told me: 'Evidence has already emerged that a major mule recruitment drive is underway.
'Young people from the UK are being targeted with the aim of reaching the UK after stopping off at European destinations en route to cover their tracks.
'And they are being offered more tempting rewards than ever as the gangs target bigger profits.
'We can't stop backpackers travelling and having fun but they should be careful who they talk to and never carry bags or packages onto planes for anyone.
'No matter how much they're offered - it won't be worth spending 20 years regretting it in a hellhole prison.'
Why Brit backpackers are prime targets, Thai cop reveals
By Patrick Harrington
Police Lieutenant Colonel Arun Musikim, Deputy Inspector of the Surat Thani province police force, said: 'Cases involving British nationals smuggling cannabis have been around for a while.
'Initially most incidents happened at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. But as arrests increased, the security tightened inspections, making it harder for smugglers to operate.
'So they began looking for smaller airports with international flights, which is why they started using Koh Samui, as it operates international flights while still being a very small airport.
'There are a lot of codeshare flights with major airlines that have international transfers in Bangkok where the suitcases are moved between planes and not checked. Then the flights go to the UK.
'Phuket is another airport with international flights to Europe but the airport is bigger and security is more advanced.
'There is a lot of cannabis grown on Thailand's islands in the south because the climate is suitable and it is legal. A lot of gangs are attracted to this.
'There are now various smuggling methods that we have seen. Some carry it themselves, some hire backpackers, and some send it via mail.
'This year, there have been many cases we have intercepted. Most involve British and Malaysian nationals.
'It's easy for British citizens to travel as they can enter Thailand and return to the UK without needing a visa.
'Most of the smugglers are people hired to carry the cannabis, similar to how tourists might smuggle tax-free goods.
'They're usually unemployed individuals from the UK. The gangs offer them flights, pocket money and hotel stays, just to come and travel and take a bag back home with them.
'These people often have poor social standing at home and are looking for ways to earn quick money. They find them through friends or on social media.
'The average age is mostly young adults, though not all. There are men, women, and even people with disabilities, all posing as backpackers visiting Thailand for a holiday.
'Many will go to festivals or parties while they are here, just like they are having a normal trip abroad.
'Upon further investigation, we found that the gangs behind this are entirely based in the UK. The payment varies — some are paid to carry in exchange for clearing debts owed to these gangs.
'Wages differ. Some get £3,000 to £5,000, some only £2,000, and others just have flight tickets and some pocket money. Some accept the chance to have a holiday that is paid for.
'They are told that it is easy and they will not be caught. Then the amount the organisers can sell the cannabis for in the UK is much higher than it costs in Thailand.
'Police suspect that there are multiple employers and groups receiving the drugs on the other end. The cannabis then enters the UK market.
'To stop this network, immigration police have coordinated with customs, the Ministry of Public Health, and airport officials.
'In Surat Thani, several people have already been sentenced, some received four months, the longest was six months, depending on the court's decision.
'Some confessed and carried small amounts and were sentenced to four months. Others who recruited, managed, or transported large amounts received six months.
'Currently, there are fewer cases on Koh Samui because of our strict enforcement. Tourists are now looking for other routes instead.
'We are being vigilant to ensure there are no routes out of the country.'
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