Latest news with #BellaMayCulley
Metro
3 hours ago
- Health
- Metro
‘I'm a reformed drug smuggler – this is how mules will be feeling on flights'
A former drug smuggler who took around 300 flights carrying hash or heroin has told how his 'heart would be pounding out of my chest' as he stood waiting for his luggage. Mark Dempster, who is now a Harley Street counsellor, told how he was wracked with 'fear' and 'adrenalisation' as he flew the illicit cargo across the globe, including into the UK. The 60-year-old spoke as a number of young British nationals including Bella May Culley await their fate in foreign jails having been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs. It's believed that crime syndicates are targeting young Westerners to use as mules for the transportation of legally grown cannabis out of Thailand. The father-of-two's knowledge of the international criminal underworld comes from his time as a drug dealer and smuggler who travelled the globe in search of the best product. Starting at the age of 20, he spent more than a decade flying drugs on long-haul trips by either secreting the product inside his body or stashing it inside his luggage or in his clothes. 'I was never a mule, I always smuggled for myself, but the feelings are similar,' Mark said. 'There's fear and adrenalisation. 'You package the drugs in the bag as best you can, with a false bottom on the bag, or you can put it in clothing or your shoes, depending on the size of what you're trying to smuggle. 'Fundamentally, I would be thinking of what mode of transport I would be getting, whether it be a flight or a boat, and what customs would be like at the time of arrival. 'I would map out things like what terminal at Heathrow would be most busy in the early hours of the morning. 'But actually none of it might be relevant; there might be loads of customs for some unknown reason. 'When I was at the carousel my heart would be beating out of my chest. 'You try and stagger and look where it's busier when you go through the green zone and conceal youself among other people. 'You try and imagine yourself in another scenario in order not to exhibit the fear of carrying drugs through customs that could get you say, five years in prison. You can't stay in that thought process, you have to imagine yourself somewhere else.' Drug smuggling allegations have come into full glare after the arrest of Bella, from Billingham on Teesside, in Georgia. The 18-year-old went missing in Thailand three weeks ago before it emerged she had been apprehended by the authorities at Tbilisi Airport. The aspiring nurse, who is said to be pregnant, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years or life imprisonment in the post-Soviet country if she is convicted over a cannabis haul worth £200,000. Her case was followed by that of Charlotte May Lee, 21, who is currently in prison in Sri Lanka, also accused of trying to run the drug out of Thailand. Charlotte, from Coulsdon, South London, has protested her innocence from a notorious jail north of the capital Colombo and court proceedings are ongoing in both cases. All deny the drug smuggling accusations. Dozens of other cases involving British nationals have cropped up over the past 12 months. Mark, who now lives in Beaconsfield, would smuggle up to 10kg of hash in his luggage, worth around £90,000 today, on flights between India, Thailand, Amsterdam and the UK. He also carried smaller quantities of the resin wrapped in clingfilm and secreted inside his body via swallowing or rectal insertion. As he achieved his misguided ambition of becoming a large-scale drug dealer, Mark also smuggled heroin from Thailand and India to the UK between the 80s and mid-90s. 'One of my worries about carrying the drugs internally was whether they could spill out,' he said. 'If you feel sick on the plane you don't want to tell anyone because you will end up in prison. 'But you also know you might die if you don't.' The therapist has documented his escapades in his book, Nothing to Declare: Confessions of an Unsuccessful Drug Smuggler, Dealer and Addict, and helps others overcome their addictions. More Trending He told Metro that he made around 300 trips smuggling drugs and while he has served time in prison, he was never caught on a plane or in an airport. However, friends did end up in prison in Thailand, which the author described as 'a serious place to be.' He underwent detox and recovery, which included selling the Big Issue, on the road to Harley Street and staying clean for 28 years. He tells clients: 'I can help because I've been there, I know how to get out.' Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact MORE: Kids as young as 10 'being driven into county lines drug gangs by cost of living crisis' MORE: Police make stark warning over British 'drugs mule' found with record cannabis haul MORE: Why so many young Brits are being 'manipulated' into smuggling drugs
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
'Frail' Brit, 79, faces time in Chile prison after crystal meth found in luggage
Police estimate the methamphetamine would have been worth around £200,000 on Chilean streets A British 'typical grandad' who allegedly attempted to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine into Chile says he was promised a £3,000,000 reward. The unnamed 79-year-old flew in to Santiago from the Mexican city of Cancun, and was preparing to make his way to Australia. But he was detained after cops allegedly found him travelling with powerful crystal meth worth £200,000 in a hidden compartment. The pensioner has claimed he had no idea how the five kilos of methamphetamine ended up in his luggage. Speaking to authorities in English, the British tourist said he had been deceived and was handed the suitcase at Cancun airport. He claimed he was promised $5,000,000 (£3,714,600) to deliver the suitcase to its final destination. The Brit even produced a certificate with the prize money pledge before being remanded into custody. Sergio Paredes, head of the Chilean PDI police force's Anti-Narcotics Division at Santiago's international airport, said: 'This case has its peculiarities. 'A frail-looking, elderly person being caught with a large amount of methamphetamine who had recently been operated on and still had scars from that medical intervention and looked like a typical grandad if I'm going to be honest. 'I always say anyone could be a potential drug smuggler. That's the philosophy we work off here. 'The false bottom in the British pensioner's suitcase where the drugs had been hidden was filled full. It couldn't have held any more methamphetamine. 'We believe he was a drug mule in the pay of a criminal gang. Brits arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling Bella May Culley arrested in Georgia for allegedly smuggling 14kg of cannabis from Thailand after flying in on May 10 Charlotte May Lee arrested in Colombo two days later after police found 46 kilos of kush synthetic cannabis in her luggage Browne-Frater Chyna Ja arrested on May 18 in Ghana accused of attempting to bring up to 18kg of cannabis into UK Owusu Williams Christian arrested at same airport en-route to Dubai, allegedly with 92 slabs of drugs weighing 54kg in his bags Unnamed couple detained in Spain on May 5 after 32kg of cannabis was discovered in two suitcases Unnamed pensioner, 79, arrested in Chile after allegedly attempting to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine 'We're still looking into where the drugs came from and where they were going to end up.' The man is being kept at Santiago 1 Penitentiary alongside mostly non-violent offenders. He can be held there for 120 days before he needs to be formally charged by investigators. Initial reports pointed to a possible 15-year prison sentence if convicted, but Chilean legal experts have said five years behind bars is more likely. The pensioner is far from the only British traveller allegedly caught up in a murky web of organised crime. Bella May Culley sparked a massive international search operation in early May after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand. Charlotte May Lee, a British former TUI cabin crew member who has been arrested in a Sri Lankan airport after police discovered 46 kilos of 'Kush' But it was later revealed that the 18-year-old from Billingham, Durham, had been arrested 4,000 miles away on drug offences in Georgia, allegedly carrying 14 kilos of cannabis. And recently 21-year-old Charlotte Lee May, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo after police discovered 46 kilos of 'Kush' – a synthetic strain of cannabis – in her suitcase. The former flight attendant, who faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, is claiming she had 'no idea' about the drugs and insisting they must have been planted in her luggage without her knowledge. Bella May Culley went missing in Thailand before it emerged that she had been arrested on suspicion of drug offences in Georgia (Picture: Facebook) Dr James Windle, of the Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork, gave an insight into the ruthless tactics used by the traffickers to recruit mules. 'Larger, more sophisticated groups are very good at identifying people who might be open to exploitation,' he told Metro. 'At first it might be consensual, with the person targeted being offered something they value, be it money, a holiday or something connected to an addiction. 'There will very often be a grooming process where they might say a person has to go somewhere to pay for their holiday, with the flights paid for. 'If they try and back out then they might say, here's a photograph of someone you love or even something as subtle as, 'you know we're very dangerous — only joking.' 'Sometimes it takes the mules months, even years, to realise how they have been manipulated.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Hooded men slash care workers' tyres and smash their windows in terrifying CCTV footage Arrow MORE: British man arrested in the US is accused of spying for China Arrow MORE: Two shot dead at popular Irish pub in Costa del Sol holiday resort
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Why so many young Brits are being 'manipulated' into smuggling drugs
Awaiting an uncertain fate in a prison 2,000 miles from home, Bella May Culley is far from the only young British traveller caught up in a murky web of organised crime. The 18-year-old is among a spate of high-profile cases where young backpackers have found themselves facing decades in jail accused of being drug mules. Experts say the Far East has become a 'Chamber of Commerce for organised crime' as underworld syndicates try to cash in on a boom in legally-grown cannabis. Bella, from Billingham on Teesside, went missing in Thailand three weeks ago, with her dad Niel flying out to search for her before it emerged she had been arrested at Tbilisi Airport in Georgia. The aspiring nurse, who is said to be pregnant, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years or life imprisonment in the post-Soviet country if she is convicted over a cannabis haul worth £200,000. Her case was followed by that of Charlotte May Lee, 21, who is currently in prison in Sri Lanka, also accused of trying to run the drug out of Thailand. The former cabin crew worker, from Coulsdon, south London is accused of attempting to smuggle 101lb (46kg) of synthetic kush worth £1.2 million in two suitcases. Speaking from Negomobo Prison, a notorious jail north of Colombo, she has protested her innocence, saying she had 'no idea' that the substance was in her luggage. The pair's cases are one of many that have cropped up in recent weeks. On Tuesday, a British couple were arrested in Spain after 32kg of cannabis was discovered in two that day, an electrician from Cumbria narrowly escaped a death sentence in Bali after initial drug trafficking charges against him were dropped, and instead replaced with hiding information from the authorities. On Wednesday, a British pensioner was arrested in Chile after allegedly attempting to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine. With at least four cases relating to Britons being accused of smuggling drugs in the past week, it begs the question: why is this happening? Dr James Windle, of the Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork, gave an insight into the ruthless tactics used by the traffickers to recruit mules. 'Every trafficking organisation is different, and the larger, more sophisticated groups are very good at identifying people who might be open to exploitation,' he told Metro. 'Sometimes they have recruiters who do it as their specific job. 'At first it might be consensual, with the person targeted being offered something they value, be it money, a holiday or something connected to an addiction. 'At some point in the process there will be a subtle hint that there's the potential for violence if they don't go ahead with it. 'There will very often be a grooming process where they might say a person has to go somewhere to pay for their holiday, with the flights paid for. If they try and back out then they might say, here's a photograph of someone you love or even something as subtle as, 'you know we're very dangerous — only joking.' 'Sometimes it takes the mules months, even years, to realise how they have been manipulated.' In the UK, cannabis seizures at airports amounted to 27 tonnes last year — five times higher than in 2023. The drugs were found on 750 smugglers, up from 134 the previous year, according to National Crime Agency (NCA) figures. Traffickers making 'significant profits' by smuggling 'perceived high-quality cannabis' grown legally in the USA, Canada and Thailand have been identified by the NCA as being behind the rise. In some of the seizures, UK Border Force officers found electronic trackers with the drugs, thought to have been planted at source by the crime gangs to follow their illicit loads. Increased inspections of postal shipments may have led Thai crime gangs in particular to use Instagram-generation backpackers. Nathan Paul Southern, director of operations at The EyeWitness Project, which specialises in the investigation of organised crime, conflict and corruption, said: 'Thailand's recent legalisation of cannabis has opened the door to more opportunistic smuggling efforts, with some groups now turning to individual mules to move cannabis across borders. 'However, this trend should not be mistaken for a major shift in drug trafficking strategy. 'A new bilateral agreement between the UK and Thailand to curb drug smuggling — including increased inspections of postal shipments from Thailand — may have prompted some traffickers to experiment with alternative methods, including using couriers or mules.' However, the investigative journalist does not see any fundamental change in how the region's drug syndicates operate. 'Transporting cannabis by air — especially in quantities large enough to generate profit — is costly, risky and logistically difficult,' he said. 'While some traffickers may try to exploit the fact that cannabis can be bought legally in Thailand and then smuggled into countries like the UK, this is a very different operation from the large-scale, coordinated trafficking of methamphetamine or heroin originating from the war-torn jungles of Myanmar. 'The vast majority of Southeast Asia's drug exports still rely on maritime routes and are dominated by meth and heroin from the Golden Triangle —the epicentre of the world's largest narcotics trade and the source of a massive human trafficking and cyber scam crisis. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Using young, easily manipulated people to move cannabis may be one of several minor tactics in play, but it is unlikely to represent a dramatic change in trafficking methods. 'Instead, it reflects how organised crime groups are constantly testing new ways to monetise legal ambiguities and exploit the vulnerable. 'The region is becoming a bit of a Chamber of Commerce for international organised crime syndicates. 'Some of these are involved in well organised bulk trafficking operations and others in more opportunistic smuggling.' Young British women posting Instagram pictures of their travels are not the only ones finding themselves caught in this nexus which spreads far beyond Thailand. Brown-Frater Chyna Jada, 23, was arrested on May 18 over an alleged 18kg of cannabis in her luggage as she went to board a British Airways flight from Ghana to Gatwick. It is alleged she had 32 slabs of the drug in her bag, with a street value of around £170,000. Fellow Brit Owusu Williams Christian, 19, was also arrested at the same airport for drug smuggling offences. He was on his way to Dubai when 92 slabs of drugs weighing just under 54kg were allegedly found in his bag. Authorities have not confirmed if the two cases are connected. Bella May Culley arrested in Georgia for allegedly smuggling 14kg of cannabis from Thailand after flying in on May 10 Charlotte May Lee arrested in Colombo two days later after police found 46 kilos of kush synthetic cannabis in her luggage Browne-Frater Chyna Ja arrested on May 18 in Ghana accused of attempting to bring up to 18kg of cannabis into UK Owusu Williams Christian arrested at same airport en-route to Dubai, allegedly with 92 slabs of drugs weighing 54kg in his bags Unnamed couple detained in Spain on May 5 after 32kg of cannabis was discovered in two suitcases Unnamed pensioner, 79, arrested in Chile after allegedly attempting to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, senior lecturer in criminology at City St George's, University of London, has spoken to drug mules for her research. The prize-winning author on drugs smuggling has found that while young British women make the headlines, the reality is more complicated. 'There are different motivations for the mules and they are men and women of different ages,' she said. 'While there have been lots of social media images of suspected women drug mules in beachwear dominating the headlines, men are just as likely to be involved, but their cases are less likely to be reported on in the media. 'In one case I met a man who was a pensioner living on benefits for many years and he just wanted some excitement, a free trip and a chance to have some money. 'Another myth is that the mules are chasing an Instagram lifestyle promised to them by the traffickers. 'The reality is more mundane, with the rising financial crisis having a big impact on young people.' Those recruited by the traffickers are the drug trade's equivalent of 'sweatshop workers' who are left facing the harsh repercussions, Dr Fleetwood told Metro. 'As long as people have researched drug trafficking there have been young, backpacker-types used as mules,' she said. 'The typical image of the traffickers is of criminal masterminds who force them to carry the drugs. 'In my experience, it's more likely to be a friend's boyfriend, a work contact or even another member of a church who is looking for someone with a passport that allows them to travel quite widely. 'The mules may be in a precarious financial position already, working in low-paid jobs, maybe in the illegal economy. More Trending 'But they find themselves becoming the drug trade's equivalent of sweatshop workers, taking on the biggest risks with the worst conditions.' Just weeks before the arrests in May, the NCA warned that targeting couriers 'is crucial to breaking the supply chain' and warned anyone tempted to smuggle drugs that the risk of being caught 'is very high, and simply isn't worth it.' The backdrop to the latest cases suggests the traffickers will keep trying to find ways through, no matter who gets caught in the crossfire. Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact MORE: Police make stark warning over British 'drugs mule' found with record cannabis haul MORE: Drug 'containing ground-up human bones' at centre of 'mule' Charlotte May Lee case MORE: British woman 'found with huge haul of cannabis ahead of flight to Gatwick Airport'
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
Peru Two drug mule warns Britons of 'hellish conditions' inside prison
A British woman who spent three years in a hellhole prison for drug smuggling has warned of the horrific consequences if found guilty. Michaella McCollum, one half of the Peru Two, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison after trying to smuggle 12kg of cocaine from Ibiza to Peru in 2013. She applied for parole three years into her sentence and was expelled from Peru months later, in June 2016. Since then Michaella has featured in two documentaries and written a book about her experiences – but she's now speaking out again with a dire warning to young Brits about the dangers of drug smuggling and the awful conditions they face if convicted. It comes as two young Brits, 18-year-old Bella May Culley and 21-year-old Charlotte May Lee, have both hit the headlines facing drug smuggling charges. The two cases are unrelated: Bella is charged with trying to smuggle 14kg of cannabis into Georgia, while Charlotte faces similar charges in Sri Lanka relating to 46kg of synthetic drug kush. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Both of them face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. 'I could not do 20 years in a prison like that,' Michaella told MailOnline, 'I just couldn't. And that's what those girls are facing.' Michaella, now a 31-year-old mum of two, recalled her experiences with prison food writhing with maggots, cockroaches, and pushy guards. 'I remember how I'd lay all the rice out, to see which grains I could eat and which were maggots. Back home, it was reported that I'd gone on hunger strike, but I hadn't,' she said. '[My mum would] bring a whole chicken, which I'd eat with my fingers, and there would be cockroaches climbing up onto the table and I'd just flick them away. I mean, they didn't even bother me, by then. 'You become so used to it. And I suppose there is a level of guilt and shame that you feel it's acceptable, even though it isn't. I've got goosebumps, just talking about the cockroaches. But then… normal. It's astonishing what you adapt to, and how resilient you can be.' Michaella says she shared a 'bedroom' with hundreds of other inmates sleeping on concrete bunks. Prisoners would exchange sexual favours for basic items like water, and guards would take items from visitors' bags and never return them. She describes her decision to act as a drugs mule aged 19 as 'the greatest mistake of my life' – and while Michaella agrees she deserved her sentence, she's not sure if she could have survived for 20 years in the Lima prison, Ancon 2. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video She was arrested alongside 20-year-old Melissa Reid, from Scotland, who she'd never met before their trip to Ibiza, and she was offered £5,000 to smuggle the drugs. And Bella May Culley's arrest was 'almost exactly the same' as hers, Michaella said. 'Her mum had reported her missing, then it emerged that she'd been arrested. There were such parallels with my case,' she explained. 'I couldn't help but feel bad for them. They [Bella and Charlotte] are 18 and 21. 'Whatever they have done, it's so young to be caught up in something like this, and I know what they are going to go through. And their families. 'It's the worst thing anybody can have to face.' Bella has since told the court in Tbilisi that she is pregnant. Michaella commented: 'As a mum, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to give birth in that sort of place, and to potentially have the child taken from you and put into care. 'That adds a whole new, terrifying, dimension. It's just incredibly sad. 'It's easy to look at girls like this and think 'how could you be so stupid?' but I look back at myself and think exactly that. 'I don't know the circumstances in detail here, but I do know that of all the women I came across who had been involved in drug smuggling, only about 10% were doing it as a business, who knew the risks and accepted them. 'The vast majority were the victims of some sort of coercion, usually by men. Prisons all over the world are full of women who have been caught up in something like this. 'And the men at the top rarely get caught. The men who pulled all the strings in my case were never held to account. 'At the time I was so high (on cocaine) that I could barely walk. Yet the men around me were all sober. More Trending 'I thought they were my friends, but actually they didn't give a s*** about me. 'When you are 19 and 20 you are so hopelessly naive. You don't even know that there are such bad things in the world, never mind that it could happen to you. 'But in a lot of cases like mine the money isn't life changing, which makes me think even more that there is an element of being tricked into it. 'I mean who would risk spending 20 years of your life in prison for £3,000 or £4,000 or even £10,000. Even £50,000 isn't enough. No amount of money is worth your freedom.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Multiple people seriously injured after car crashes into pedestrians MORE: Man arrested after police officer injured when 'car reversed into him' MORE: Teenager and two adults killed in crash on M5 with motorway closed by police
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Glamorous drug mule turned OnlyFans star issues warning to young women caught smuggling cannabis
A glamorous drug mule turned Only Fans star issued a stark warning to two young women facing similar charges overseas. The content creator, Levi-April Whalley, a former nurse from the UK, was caught trying to smuggle some 77 pounds of marijuana into the country when she returned from a trip to New York City in 2023. She told officials at Birmingham International Airport she had gone on a three-day shopping spree in the Big Apple when they were stopped. Whalley also claimed the 70 heat-sealed bags inside her luggage were just watches, according to Lancs Live. But soon, border officials discovered $217,000 worth of cannabis inside the bags. She was ultimately handed an 18-month suspended sentence at Preston Crown Court in northwest England last month. In the meantime, Whalley said she is closely following the cases of fellow Brits Bella May Culley, 18, and Charlotte May Lee, 21, who are both suspected of being drug mules. Now she's offered the suspects some advice. 'If I had the chance to speak to Bella and Charlotte, I would tell them to tell the truth and be honest,' she told The Mirror. Whalley added that she understands 'exactly what they are going through,' but can only 'imagine how worried they are.' Culley, a nursing student from northeast England, was arrested in the former Soviet country of Georgia earlier this month when she allegedly tried to smuggle 30 pounds of cannabis into the Black Sea nation. She was traveling around the Philippines and Thailand before she boarded the flight to Georgia from Bangkok, and has claimed in court that she is pregnant. Culley has also confided in legal sources that she was in love with a mystery man who now forms a central part of the investigation. Lee, a former flight attendant from south London, meanwhile, was apprehended in Sri Lanka after police discovered she was ferrying more than 100 pounds of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis that contains remnants of human bones. Both women have denied the charges against them, but if she were to be convicted Culley could spend the rest of her life in prison and Lee could spend more than two decades behind bars. In them, Whalley apparently sees herself - claiming the two suspects are 'victims' who were in 'vulnerable' situations like she was when she agreed to become a drug mule to 'escape.' 'I was not in a good place and could say I was somewhat vulnerable at the time,' she claimed. 'These are two young girls - and I believe that's probably the same situation for them.' Her comments come as authorities across the world are working to determine whether local gangs in Thailand may be targeting naïve travelers. Jemal Janashia, a former police general in Georgia and one of the country's top drug crime experts, told the that local investigators will be keen to explore 'the possibility of a link' between Culley and Lee's cases - and, hauntingly, 'that Thai gangs may be attempting to recruit vulnerable British travelers'. Janashia, who used to head Georgia's national bureau for combating drug trafficking, suggested that a police crackdown on postal drug deliveries in Thailand may have pushed 'the cartel' to seek alternative smuggling routes. 'Georgia does look like an attractive middle transit point,' he suggested, close to Europe and visa free for European travelers. Noting that Culley was 18, foreign to Thailand and pregnant, and suggesting she may have been used as a pawn in a complex trafficking operation, he said that 'whoever chose her, they knew what they were doing'. He told the Mirror that he would advise Culley to cooperate with the investigation and 'indicate who were the youths that she was in touch with in Thailand' - and a fixer in Georgia, if there was one. In the meantime, Whalley says she now feels lucky that she was arrested in the UK - noting that her situation could have been much worse if she were detained abroad. 'I believe if I was caught abroad, it would have been a completely different outcome for myself,' she said. 'I believe I would have been in the same situation as them,' she claimed. Still, she claimed her life over the past 16 months has been 'torture' as she lost her job and was prevented from traveling as she gave birth to her daughter. She also gave birth to her daughter. Whalley now hopes her and the two girls' stories will prevent other women from deciding to take the risk to smuggle drugs internationally. 'Just because I had a suspended sentence should not set a precedent for others to do it,' she told the Mirror, adding that Culley and Lee's situation 'shows that people don't always get the outcome we had and should now make people aware of the actual dangers of bringing someone's suitcase back. 'I hope, going forward, people see the severity of this offense.'
