I'm a drug mule who flew from Thailand like Bella Culley & Charlotte May Lee…I've fled UK over threat to kill my family
A TERRIFIED British drug mule has told how he was left in fear of his life after his stash went missing en route to the UK - and the gang which recruited him demanded £100,000.
The 32-year-old man partied for free in Thailand with traffickers who promised him £12,000 to carry a suitcase stuffed with 42lbs of cannabis to the UK via Dubai.
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But he was horrified to learn his illicit cargo had not been loaded onto the plane from Bangkok after he boarded and his suitcase was later seized by border forces.
He managed to reach the UK where he immediately smashed and threw away the burner phone he had been using to contact the gang to stop cops tracking him down.
But the traffickers who recruited him are now threatening to kill him or harm his family unless he hands over the £100,000 value of their lost weed.
The mule narrowly escaped arrest on a similar route to Bella Culley - the 18-year-old Brit banged up for alleged trafficking in Georgia.
He lives a few miles from Bella's home in Billington, County Durham, but has been forced to flee the country to Spain after the gang started hunting him.
The trafficker - whose story has been verified and has asked not be identified for his own safety - told The Sun: "I got messages from the gang accusing me of stealing the weed when it went missing.
"They were saying 'we want the stuff back or you'll owe us £100,000'. They said they know where my family live and were threatening to firebomb the house.
"I have no idea who they are or where they're from. These are just people working through encrypted apps.
"I couldn't give them an answer where the drugs were because I had no idea myself."
The mule laid bare his terror as law enforcement authorities warned Thai-based British gangs are offering free holidays, limitless booze and big cash bungs to vulnerable holiday youngsters.
The Sun told yesterday how narcotics crimelords based in hot spots including Thailand's Koh Samui are offering bigger rewards than ever 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.
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.
Desperate Brits are being ensnared into smuggling huge quantities of drugs out of Thailand - with the promise of fast money but the risk of jail or death.
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The mule told yesterday how gang recruiters have been active in poor communities in the north east of England preying on young people in need of cash.
He said: "Ordinary people are being offered a lot of money to do this.
'I know loads of people who've done it - and there's a handful from my home town who are in jail right now.
"I got approached by someone who I used to be friends with on the street who knew I was hard up for money.
"He said to me 'do you want to make yourself 12 grand?' I was like, 'yeah, doing what?'
"He was said I'd have to fly out to Thailand, pick up some weed and bring it back.
"Obviously, at first I was like, 'nah, f*** that!' And then, money started getting on top of me a bit more over the next couple of months.
"So, I got in contact with him, and he said 'right, yeah, we can go next week'.
"I don't have a clue who organised it but they booked our flights.'
The mule and two other couriers - one in their mid-20s and another in his mid-30s - flew out from the North West of England to Bangkok in November.
They partied for two weeks in the Thai capital fr free before being sent on their perilous mission.
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The mule told The Sun: "We went to a warehouse near Pattaya and picked up a couple of suitcases - with 19 kilos of weed inside"
"No questions asked - we headed straight to the airport."
But the trip home took a disastrous turn when the smuggler was told his bags of contraband had not made the flight to London.
He said: "When I was on the flight to Dubai, a steward told me my bags weren't on the plane.
'I panicked. I thought, 'S***, what the f*** does this mean?' I was thinking if I get lifted in Dubai, I'm f****d.
'They told me the hold had been full and the bags were on a different flight.
"It dawned on me how much trouble I was in once I got on the plane.
"I was throwing sleeping tablets down my throat just to get me through the flight.
"Once I changed in Dubai, I kind of sobered up and really started to panic.'
Back in the UK, the trafficker asked for his missing bags to be delivered to a British address.
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But they never arrived and a baggage agent later sent him a message confirming Border Force had seized his suitcase and its illicit contents.
He said: "At that point, I got rid of my phone and just f*** off to go and stay with a friend in another part of the country for a little bit. I was waiting for the police to turn up and get me.
"I snapped the phone I'd been using into a million pieces and threw into different parts of the river.
"I wasn't going to go chasing it up after I'd received an email saying that they'd been seized. I panicked and tried to disappear.
"Then the guys who I was doing it for started accusing me of stealing it, telling me I owed them 100 grand and threatening my family.
'It got really nasty after that and ended up disappearing to Spain for while until things cooled down.'
"I don't think they're going to risk their whole operation over something this small - but now I'm worrie about my family.'
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Police in the former Soviet state of Georgia believe Bella used in a similar operation - but routed through capital Tbilisi to provide a back door into the EU.
Former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Chipstead in Surrey appeared in court yesterday after being up in another suspected Thai trafficking nightmare.
She appeared brought to court yesterday from a disgusting hellhole cell in Sri Lanka following her arrest with a huge stash of the superstrong drug kush.
A second source in the north east of England told The Sun how social media is also being used to entice would-be smugglers.
They said: "People are being offered around £10,000 to go to Thailand, pick up a load of weed, and come back. There's loads doing it from around here.
"I know a mate who was picking up cannabis from a guy and got offered £10k.
'He was told that he'd have to bring back 22kg of weed. He told them straight up he wasn't interested, but there are other people who will do anything for that kind of cash.
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.
'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.
'Many will go to festivals or parties while they are here, just like they are having a normal trip abroad.
'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.
'We are being vigilant to ensure there are no routes out of the country.'
"I reckon they sent Bella to Georgia because security's less tight.
'It's in Europe, but not in the EU — so you can get into Georgia, then slip into mainland Europe where border checks are easier.
"Moldova's another one."
Meanwhile, Bella Culley's anguished dad Niel (Ckd), 49, was allowed to visit her for the first time yesterday since her arrest at Tbilisi's international airport on May 11.
He is believed to have ferried a food and clothing package to Bella at the grim No5 Women's Penitentiary where she will be held until her next court appearance on July 1.
He spent around 45 minutes with Bella before emerging puffing nervously on a cigarette as he waited for a taxi. He declined to comment.
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