Brit ‘smuggler' Bella Culley's cash wad & ‘Bonnie & Clyde' brag on TikTok before arrest 4,000 miles away from Thai hols
THE BRIT teen arrested for smuggling 30lb of marijuana into Georgia boasted on TikTok about her "criminal" lifestyle before getting caught.
, 18, from
County Durham
, disappeared while travelling in south-east Asia and reappeared in handcuffs in Tbilisi.
15
Bella bragged of a 'Bonnie and Clyde' lifestyle on TikTok
Credit: TikTok
15
She showed off huge wads of cash
Credit: @bellamay.xx/TikTok
15
Bella went on a trip to the Philippines and then took a detour to Thailand
Credit: Facebook
15
Bella appeared in court in Georgia today, where she did not comment on the charges
Credit: East2West
15
Police say they found 34 bags of cannabis in her luggage while trying to enter Georgia
Credit: East2West
She
cannabis
in her luggage - and could face 20 behind bars.
Now, clips of Bella bragging about making piles of cash and living a "Bonnie n Clyde" lifestyle have emerged.
One
TikTok
video shows Bella posing on a balcony, captioned: "Blonde or brunette? Erm how about we get up to criminal activities side by side like Bonnie n Clyde."
It goes on: "Making heavy figures and f*****g on balconies all over the world".
READ MORE ON THE BRIT TEEN
Another post flaunts huge stacks of cash, with her clutching a bundle of £10 and £20 notes held together by a hairband.
The online brags about making
money
and
crime
began before she jetted to south-east Asia a few weeks ago, just after Easter.
Out in Asia, evidence of her lavish lifestyle continues with videos of Bella partying, lounging on beaches, scuba diving and
smoking
marijuana in the back of a cars.
But her content suddenly dried up last week - along with her messages back home.
Most read in The Sun
Her family were clueless at first and put out a desperate plea for information, fearing Bella was still in Thailand and missing.
But yesterday, Georgian authorities released photos of Bella being marched while handcuffed into a
police
station.
Brit tourist, 18, reported missing for days in Thailand is arrested on 'drug offences' in Georgia 4,000 miles away
Airport staff had stopped her on the way in and allegedly found 34 bags of cannabis in her luggage.
The aspiring nurse could face 20 years in an overcrowded former Soviet
prison
or even a life sentence, the country's Interior Ministry said.
Taking the stand today, she told the
court
she was pregnant before adding she would reserve the right to remain silent.
She is said to be 'confused and terrified'.
15
Georgian authorities released footage showing the British teen in handcuffs
Credit: East2West
15
Police in Georgia released images of the alleged hoard the British teen is accused of trying to smuggle into the country
Credit: East2West
15
The cannabis was wrapped in black bags in her luggage, police said
Credit: East2West
15
Her baffled dad Neil Culley, who lives in
Vietnam
where he works off-shore, is flying to Eastern
Europe
to be by his daughter's side in
Georgia
today.
A loved-one said: 'She is just a student - she doesn't really go out or do anything like that. She just wanted a break so took herself to Thailand.
'She must have become mixed up with someone. She must have met someone who has taken advantage of her.'
Meanwhile Bella's paternal grandfather William Culley, 80, said he feared he may not see his 'intelligent' granddaughter again and said "she's not an international drug trafficker".
Bella went travelling with a friend to the Philippines last month and then decided to take a spontaneous trip to
Thailand
on May 3.
Her mum, Lyanne, told The Sun that went to reconnect with some people she met on a previous trip to the country.
Her family raised the alarm during her holiday after she failed to contact anyone since Saturday, despite usually flooding her family with texts, sparking a huge international search operation.
They had no idea that she had even left Thailand and were shocked to learn of her arrest in a different continent.
Her mum previously said that Bella "doesn't like the party lifestyle", so it was even more of a shock to hear she was accused of a major drug smuggling operation.
The Brit remained silent on the charges when she appeared in court today.
15
Bella posted videos of her smoking in the back of cars
Credit: @bellamay.xx / tiktok
15
She told her mum she was going to Thailand to reconnect with friends she previously made in the country
Credit: Facebook
15
She posted regularly to her social media accounts - but all communication dried up at the weekend
Credit: Facebook
Major Georgian TV outlet Rustavi 2 in a text report said that Bella May Culley had told the Tbilisi court that she was 'pregnant'.
The judge remanded her in custody.
Meanwhile, mystery surrounded a string of company directorships Bella appeared to hold, despite being described as a "normal student" and family and friends having no idea about them.
Records showed apparent links to the Far East - with Bella listed as the director of at least two companies with Chinese ties.
Speaking at his home in Billingham, Co
Durham
today, Bella's grandfather said: 'I'm terrified that she's in for a long sentence. I might never see her again - I'm 80 years old.
'She's got sucked into something, somehow. She's not an international drug trafficker.
'It's all just very strange and at the moment we just don't have any answers. We don't know what to think."
He said his granddaughter was 'intelligent' and 'not daft' and would not knowingly have involved herself with
drugs
.
'She was on holiday with some friends, doing what 18-year-olds do - drinking and dancing. They must have met somebody who's taken advantage of her.'
Mr Culley described his granddaughter as a 'normal' 18 year old who lived with her brother and mother in social housing in Billingham.
Mr Culley said: 'She's not daft, she's an intelligent girl. Why has she done it? Has someone dangled money in front of her?
'We just don't know what has gone on until we get out there and talk to her.
15
Bella could be jailed for 20 years if found guilty
Credit: @bellamay.xx / tiktok
15
Mum Lyanne told The Sun that Bella didn't like the party lifestyle
Credit: Facebook
15
Bella had been enjoying her holiday in the South East Asia
Credit: Facebook
Her Georgian lawyer told reporters today: "My client is currently exercising the right to remain silent, so we will provide detailed information later, once they decide how to proceed.
"A formal request must be submitted to the relevant authority, and then more detailed information regarding my client can be provided.
"At this stage, [she is] invoking [her] right to silence, and further developments will be shared later once a decision is made."
Culley's lawyer said: 'The person under my protection is currently exercising the right to silence and, accordingly, I will provide all the detailed information later, when she decides to provide detailed information to the investigative bodies regarding the charges brought against her.'
Bella could face decades behind bars in Georgia's only female prison, Tbilisi Prison number 5.
The prison has been previously criticised for being 'degrading', 'inhuman' and 'an affront to a civilised society' by a European committee.
Bella recently completed an access course at Middlesbrough College and hopes to become a nurse - but first wanted to go travelling.
Before her reappearance in Georgia, Bella's mum Lyanne Kennedy, 44, told The Sun: "Her dad lives in Vietnam, so she's always wanted to see Asia.
'She loves all the touristy stuff, like releasing turtles."
Bella flew out to the Philippines with a friend - and Thailand wasn't even on the agenda to begin with.
But when her pal went to Ibiza, she decided to head in a different direction because "she doesn't drink that much and isn't really into the party lifestyle".
Instead, Bella travelled on to Thailand around May 3.
Lyanne said: "I really didn't want her to go to Thailand.
'I begged her to come home. I don't trust some of the boys over there.
'But she wanted to meet up with some friends she made over there on a previous trip. I don't know who any of them are."
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