Fears grow Brit ‘smuggling' cases Bella Culley & Charlotte Lee ARE linked as similarities including ‘mystery man' emerge
Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
Published: Invalid Date,
FEARS are growing that Brit "drug smuggling" cases Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee are linked, as similarities including a "mystery man" have emerged.
Within a single day of 18-year-old backpacker Bella getting arrested in Georgia, Charlotte, 21, suffered the same fate over 3,000 miles away.
9
9
9
Former air stewardess Charlotte was caught trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million and was arrested after stepping off a flight to Sri Lanka from Thailand last Monday.
Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of synthetic drug kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl.
Meanwhile 18-year-old Bella - who claims to be pregnant - is in custody following her arrest in Georgia's Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 4,000 miles away in Thailand.
And with the two young Brits now both awaiting their fate locked up in disturbing foreign jails, a number of striking similarities have emerged over their cases.
Both women are believed to have used the same airport to flee, allegedly with the drugs on them as cops say they flew solo from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport.
A potential link between the two alleged drug smuggling cases appears to likely form part of the investigations being executed by the Georgian and Sri Lankan authorities.
Another similarity between the two alleged drug smuggling cases is how well the narcotics were stashed.
Shocking images published by Sri Lanka customs narcotics control unit show how drugs had been allegedly stuffed into Charlotte's luggage in large vacuum bags.
This suggests the stash was packed with a top level of professionalism.
Bella's alleged stash was also discovered in stacked, airtight sealed packages pointing to a similar-style operation.
Bella Culley's dad stands by daughter amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers
And in another twist, the two had individually told their loved ones they planned on meeting a mystery man during their travels.
Bella revealed to her family she was meeting an unknown man in the Philippines who had moved to the country from the North East.
The backpacker's social media went on to show her clearly in the company of a male stranger - but he was never clearly pictured or named.
Bella's grandad William Culley, 80, said that she appears to have spent most of March in Thailand but also spent time in the Philippines with a man called 'Ross or Russ.'
Bella's family members also revealed last Wednesday that she went on to hook up in Thailand with a group of young men from the north west of England before being reported missing.
Meanwhile Charlotte, a former TUI stewardess, left for Thailand weeks ago, with relatives saying she had made vague comments about meeting a man in Thailand.
She had recently endured a painful break-up, they added.
If found guilty, south Londoner Charlotte could face a hefty 25-year sentence.
And a sentence ranging from 20 years to life could be a possibility for teen Bella from Country Durham, according to prosecutors.
Bella was detained in Georgia following a tip-off on May 1 1 after a 20-hour flight from Bangkok via Sharjah in the UAE with the drug stash in her hold bag.
9
9
9
9
She joked online of 'Bonnie and Clyde' hijinks and was pictured smoking a suspicious-looking cigarette and showing off wads of cash.
The 18-year-old was sent to the brutal Women's Penitentiary No. 5 in the town of Rustavi - a slammer notorious for its hellish conditions just outside Tbilisi.
Celebrity Georgian lawyer Mariam Kublashvili, 39, was allowed to visit Bella for 30 minutes on Monday and brought the first news of her condition behind bars.
Shockingly, she revealed the pregnant teen had not received a proper medical examination since telling a Tbilisi court she was pregnant.
She also assessed that the shy and scared young Briton was a victim rather than a calculating criminal who deserves to be caged for years.
Before her arrest, the great-granddaughter of a former Labour MP had been reported missing during a holiday in Thailand.
She had originally jetted to the Philippines to meet an old friend but reportedly changed her plans last minute to go to Thailand with a gang of British lads unknown to her.
Dad of Brit Bella Culley, who's being held in Georgia after vanishing on Thai hols, shares his fears
A family friend claimed Bella was "completely exploited".
They said: "She's just a normal 18-year-old. She's not some hardened criminal."
Bella's pregnancy has yet to be confirmed by medical checks - but her dad, Neil, 49, appeared distressed as he faced the possibility of his first grandchild being born in prison.
Puffing shakily on a cigarette, he told The Sun: 'I'm sorry - I don't want to say anything.'
And former air stewardess Charlotte is being kept in a Sri Lankan jail cell with 'hardly room to lie down'.
A family friend said: 'We're frantically worried. She was arrested then seemingly abandoned and is rotting in a jail cell. She's very scared.'
Another friend told The Sun on Sunday: 'She's been told if convicted, because of the size of the drugs haul, she's looking at between 20 and 25 years in jail. British Embassy staff warned her she's going nowhere soon.'
Meanwhile, an Australian tourist has been arrested at a Thai airport after allegedly trying to smuggle 22kg of meth hidden in his case.
Tran Huybao Khang, 28, was reportedly caught with the drugs while trying to board a plane at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on May 18.
Staff flagged his belongings after finding "density abnormalities" in his suitcase during inspections.
They said they rifled through the bags and discovered the plastic packs of methamphetamine inside.
Authorities said Tran, of Vietnamese and Australian descent, was due to fly to Melbourne on Thai Airways flight TG461, an Airbus A350, before his arrest.
9
9
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Asylum seeker suspected of recruiting child soldiers can stay in Britain
An asylum seeker suspected of recruiting child soldiers for the Tamil Tigers has won a human rights case to stay in Britain. The Sri Lankan has been allowed to remain in the UK despite claims he had 'enlisted children under the age of 15' in the militant group. The French justice system previously ruled that he should be denied asylum in France due to the allegations, an immigration tribunal heard. However, British judges ruled that there was not enough evidence to say the allegations were true, and he has been granted refugee status. The Home Office, which attempted to deport him, tried to fight the ruling, but lost its appeal. The identity of the migrant has not been revealed as he was granted anonymity by the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. The hearing, in London, was told that before he arrived in the UK, the Sri Lankan was alleged to have recruited child soldiers for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - also known as the Tamil Tigers. The LTTE is a militant terrorist organisation founded in Sri Lanka. It was heard that the unnamed Sri Lankan was working for the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) - a refugee charity - but was secretly supplying information. Before arriving in the UK, the French asylum court - the Cour nationale du droit d'asile - found that he 'ought to be excluded from a grant of asylum under Article 1F of the Refugee Convention due to his alleged involvement in war crimes, in this case the alleged recruitment of children'. In Britain, the Home Office refused him refugee status, but in 2023, he won an appeal at the First-tier Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber against the decision. At the time, the judge found that the Home Office 'had not shown serious grounds for concluding that [the Sri Lankan] was guilty of the war crime of conscription or enlistment of children under the age of 15 or using them to participate actively in hostilities'. The judge at the 2023 hearing concluded: 'I am not satisfied even on the evidence of his own admissions, accurate or otherwise, to the French that this goes far enough to show that the [Sri Lankan] was effectively collecting information which he knew was going to be misused, and misused specifically for the recruitment of child soldiers under the age of 15. 'Nor am I satisfied that there are serious reasons for considering on all the evidence adduced that the [respondent] has been shown to have knowingly materially assisted in the recruitment of child soldiers under the age of 15, by the work done by the TRO in gathering information, possibly subsequently used by the LTTE for that purpose.' The Home Office appealed that decision at the Upper Tribunal, but lost its case. Home Office lawyers argued that the judge in 2023 did not attach enough weight to the French court decision. Lawyers argued that the judge 'ought to have followed the French Court and that inadequate reasons were given by the judge for not doing so'. But, Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Adrian Seelhoff ruled that the 2023 hearing considered the French decision 'extensively'. Judge Seelhoff said: 'The Judge assessed that evidence to see if it supported the [Home Office's] case that [the Sri Lankan], whilst working for the TRO, supplied details which the LTTE used to recruit child soldiers. '[The Home Office's] position before us was not that the judge was bound to follow the French court decision, but that he had not given adequate reasons for reaching a different decision or that he failed to attach weight to the decision. 'We find that the judge did give adequate reasons for not following that decision, and for the weight he attached to it and that accordingly there is no error of law in the decision under appeal.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
The crack-riddled seaside town where dealers flog £15k hauls in Asda bags and junkies hole up in filthy ‘death row'
DESPAIRING residents of a world-famous seaside town are so fed up of its drugs problem they are taking antidepressants. Bridlington, in East Yorkshire - once an upmarket and bustling resort - is still renowned for its excellent shellfish and is referred to as the Lobster Capital of Europe. 17 17 17 17 Tourists continue to flock to the area, which was used as a filming location for the 2016 remake of Dad's Army, to take advantage of its sandy beaches and funfair. But a short distance from the promenade, on Tennyson Avenue, also known as "death row", drug deals are taking place in broad daylight. The scruffy terraced street was once the pride of the town and home to upmarket B&Bs, but in recent years has suffered a sharp decline. The Victorian buildings, which retain little of their former grandeur, have been converted into HMOs and flats or else lie empty and boarded up. Shortly before 8.30am on a grey, cloudy morning, a scrawny woman walks along the street, which is littered with empty cider cans, clutching a bottle of vodka. Residents speak of being forced to defend themselves against "crack heads" and nightmare neighbours, who set fire to their flats. One pensioner says she used to be proud to call Tennyson Avenue home, but now barely recognises it. The woman, who was too scared to give us her name, said: "The best thing about Bridlington now is the road out of it. "Ex prisoners used to live next door, and they were drug taking and setting fire to the place. "It was 24/7. It was the first time in my life I had to get anti-depressants. "There is drug dealing going on all the time. There's a particular car I recognise and it's dropping things off all the time. "They deal everything, but it will definitely be crack cocaine. You see them outside houses waiting for drugs, doing their rain dance. "You can't go out now without your door locked. Houses around here are full of drugs. "When I moved here it was excellent. It was really quite wonderful. "I used to be proud to say, I live on Tennyson Avenue, but I'm not now. There's not much I can do, I have to live through it." 17 17 17 Simon Elvidge worked as a commercial diver before he was diagnosed with cancer and moved to the street. The 59-year-old has been forced to fend off drug takers determined to start fights while high on cocaine. He said: "This road used to be posh. But now it is full of druggies and drugs. "It has gradually become worse but I think this is happening to every seaside town. "They deal all sorts of drugs around here. At one point we had a place on the corner which used to house people coming out of jail. "That was a mini crime wave. They would shoplift to pay for their drugs. "The police are up and down all of the time. I worry about it but I can handle myself. I've had to do it a few times. "I've had to knock a few crack heads out. One time I had a guy who came up to me and wanted to start a fight. "But they don't even know what they're doing most of the time, they're so high. "I've been here six years but I came from a village to move here. "That was a huge eye opener for me." Left to rot Sat between Tennyson Avenue and the beach is a former HMO which is now boarded up and in a state of neglect. A sign stuck to the outside simply reads: "CLOSED. To protect your community from anti-social behaviour." Around the corner, CCTV cameras operate in the back alleyways and there are signs warning people not to fly-tip. One camera has been painted over, rendering it useless. 17 17 17 Tennyson Avenue was recently home to Michael Severn, until he was sent to prison for six-and-a-half years for drug dealing. Severn, 31, was found with an ASDA carrier bag between his legs containing £15,000 worth of cocaine. A local who didn't want to be named tells us he used to be part of the area's criminal activity before turning his life around. The young man said: "I grew up around here. It has gone really downhill. "It used to be a thriving town and it was a main seaside attraction but now lots of places have closed down. "Drug deals happen all down this road. They deal all kinds of drugs but definitely crack cocaine. 17 17 17 "I've had my own demons in the past but came out the other side. "I was homeless for months but I used my will power and stopped being around the wrong people. "All of the people who told me to hang around and stay are the ones still living in tents now. "There is one back alley just off this road where all of the druggies go to. "They are all over this area. You see them waiting around in plain sight." Desperate deprivation The most up-to-date figures released by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranked Bridlington South as the 45th most deprived area in England out of almost 33,000. In 2021 there were 30 drugs death in East Riding, up from 22 in 2020. And last year, Bridlington suffered the humiliation of being named the worst coastal resort in Yorkshire. In March, three criminals were sent down for a combined 17 years after flooding the town with £3million worth of crack cocaine. Lee Jenkinson, 32, Luke Gibson, 35, and Liam Langton, 27, were snared after a lengthy police probe into rising violence and drug activity between gangs in the town. 17 Georgina Marie is originally from Hull but moved to Bridlington to live with her partner. The tutor fears for the future of her one-year-old daughter. The 28-year-old said: "We live five minutes from the centre and people will openly drug deal in the middle of the afternoon in the street. "But they will admit to doing it. They don't hide it. "It's a lot of weed in the town centre but there's other drugs elsewhere. I worry for my little one. If I had my own way I'd live in the middle of nowhere and send her to a private school. Georgina "They are trying to make it a better area for the tourists rather than the people who live here. "We don't need a new car park, we need community centres for the kids. "A new car park will be great for the tourists but the locals won't use it. But instead kids are on the streets here because they have nowhere else to go. "I would go to the park as a kid but now they're not safe enough." "Now we see drug dealing in Bridlington and I worry it will escalate to people carrying knives etc. by the time my daughter is older." 17 17 A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council pointed to their Clear Hold Build scheme, which is a "concerted effort to improve quality of life in Bridlington, including by tackling organised crime and antisocial behaviour". They added: "The aim is to disrupt and dismantle Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) by clearing the area of OCGs, then building community resilience to prevent their return. "The council has also supported the police by using closure orders against council properties which have been the site of antisocial behaviour, to bring immediate relief to residents." Ian Foster, the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Humberside Police, said: "Over the past year our Neighbourhood Policing Team have been working relentlessly in Bridlington to tackle anyone who has been causing harm in the area. "We continue to take part in the multi-agency Home Office Clear Hold Build Initiative, which has involved large scale disruption of those involved in organised crime through warrants, arrests and charges. "As a result of our ongoing work through this initiative, since April 2024, the courts have issued a total of 99 years and five months in prison sentences in relation to organised crime in Bridlington. "With continued operations to tackle organised crime gangs and drugs dealing, such as Operation Shield, we continually gather intelligence, conduct Misuse of Drugs Act warrants and arrest and bring to justice those who commit drugs offences in our communities. "Throughout the summer months we have also been running Operation Coastline, our proactive approach to tackling crime in our coastal region as the number of visitors increases. "Bridlington is a fantastic place to live, work and visit and we are proud to be part of the community here. "I urge anyone with any concerns or information about crime to please get in touch via our non-emergency 101 line or speak to an officer on patrol."
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Bristol man Jardel Edwards jailed after gun found in drawers
A man has been jailed after a gun and taser were found in his chest of drawers. Jardel Edwards, 22, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of being in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He also admitted being in possession of Class A drugs crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply, which plain-clothed police officers found in his pockets when he was stopped on 6 February in Webb Street, then searched his home in Cotton Mill Lane, Barton Hill, where they found the weapons in his bedroom, as well as further evidence of drugs supply. Edwards was sentenced to eight years in prison on Thursday - five years for the firearms offences and three years for the drugs Insp Tom Tooth of Avon and Somerset Police said: "Edwards' evasive behaviour when officers first spoke to him led them to believe he had something to hide."It is clear from the amount of drugs that Edwards' had in his possession that he had intended to sell them, bringing further harm to our communities through drug use and drug-related crime."
