‘Drug-smuggling' British teenager claims she is pregnant
A British teenager arrested for smuggling drugs into Georgia after disappearing while travelling in Thailand has claimed she is pregnant.
Thai police claim Bella May Culley, 18, may have been 'lured by criminals' into becoming a mule in exchange for a 'holiday of a lifetime' before she vanished from a beach resort, only to appear in court 4,000 miles away.
Ms Culley had arrived in Thailand from the Philippines and shared travelling photos on social media including a post flaunting cash and comparing herself to Bonnie and Clyde.
On Tuesday, it was revealed she had been arrested at Tbilisi airport with '34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana … as well as 20 packages of hashish'.
Cleveland Police said they had been informed by the Georgian authorities that Ms Culley had been arrested on suspicion of drug offences and was in custody.
Footage shared by broadcasters in Georgia appeared to show the 18-year-old walking into court in handcuffs.
She reportedly told a hearing at Tbilisi city court that she was pregnant, but added she would reserve the right to remain silent.
She will undergo a medical examination and remains in custody.
Ms Culley was arrested after customs officers at the airport discovered her bag to be full of drugs, according to local media reports.
A video showed a suitcase apparently full of drugs, including around a dozen sachets labelled 'hash'.
Credit: imedinews
The teenager appeared in court and was remanded in custody after being denied bail.
Police in Thailand have claimed the teenager may have been tricked into smuggling the drugs to Georgia.
A police spokesman told local media that any young woman travelling alone to the eastern European country of Georgia was likely to attract official attention.
He told The Pattaya News a likely explanation was that she had been 'lured by criminals' to be a drugs transporter or 'mule' in return for the 'holiday of a lifetime'.
Gangs are known to target young, vulnerable travellers and the UK's National Crime Agency has previously warned of an increase in arrests of people trying to smuggle cannabis by air from Thailand.
Credit: imedinews
The theory came as social media posts emerged from Culley about 'criminal activities' and meeting someone to partner with as 'Bonnie n Clyde'
Last month, she had posted footage on TikTok from Thailand where she said: 'Blonde or brunette? Erm, how about we get up to criminal activities side by side like Bonnie n Clyde making heavy figures.'
In a caption, she added: 'I don't care if we on the runnnnn baby long as i'm next to uuu.''
In posts on TikTok and Instagram, Ms Culley has appeared to show off cash, with a pile of £10 and £20 notes held together by a hairband.
Should she be found guilty of drug smuggling, Ms Culley could face up to 20 years or a sentence of life behind bars.
Ms Culley's Georgian lawyer sought her release on bail and told reporters: 'My client is currently exercising the right to remain silent, so we will provide detailed information later, once they decide how to proceed.'
Ms Culley will likely be held at the only female prison in the country. A Georgian government report in 2015 found that cells contained no drinking water and prisoners were sometimes given 'big nappies' instead of sanitary products.
He last posts on Instagram and Tiktok came on May 9 and she was reported missing after family members did not hear from her from May 10, according to local media
Thai police made inquiries throughout the holiday resort, a three hours' drive from Bangkok, but immigration records suggested she had already left the country.
The family of the teenager, who is from Billingham, Co Durham, had earlier appealed to the public for any information about her whereabouts.
Lyanne Kennedy, Ms Culley's mother, said her daughter had travelled around the Philippines in April before flying to Thailand on May 3.
'She flew out to the Philippines after Easter with a friend and she was there for three weeks,' Mrs Kennedy told Teesside Live.
She added: 'She was posting loads of pictures and then she went to Thailand on about May 3.
'The last message she sent was to me and that was on Saturday at 5.30pm saying she was going to FaceTime me later. That was the last message anyone has received from what we can figure out up to now.'
Ms Culley's father and aunt, Neil and Kerrie Culley, flew to Thailand to try to find her after her family alerted police in Thailand and Britain about her disappearance.
A spokesman for Cleveland Police said: 'We have had confirmation from the authorities in Georgia that an 18-year-old woman from Billingham has been arrested there on suspicion of drugs offences and that she remains in their custody.'
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia and are in contact with the local authorities.'
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