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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Pregnant Brit drug mule suspect Bella Culley, 19, faces 15 YEARS in a Georgian jail as prosecutors claim teenager acted with 'prior intent'
A pregnant British drug mule suspect could face up to 15 years in a Georgian jail as prosecutors claims she acted with 'prior intent'. Bella Culley, 19, was caught in the former Soviet Union nation in May with £200,000 worth of cannabis in her luggage. The mother-to-be claims she was forced to peddle the drugs from Thailand to Georgia, claiming she was burned with a hot iron and shown a beheading video by a Thai gang. She then claims she flew to Tbilisi with 14kg of illegal cargo hidden in her bags. But Georgian prosecutor Vakhtang Tsaluqelashvili has questioned the teenager's plea and revealed prosecutors have found evidence which they say proves Culley's crime was premeditated and calculated. Mr Tsaluqelashvili told The Sun: 'We have evidence confirming that the defendant acted with prior intent.' He added that the pregnant teen passed through multiple airports through three countries and across wo continents, and at no point did she seem scared or concerned or display any behavior that would lead authorities to believe she was acting under duress. Mr Tsaluqelashvili went on to say: 'Among other things, at the moment of her arrest, she did not say anything of this kind to the Georgian customs officers either. 'Given the gravity of the offence committed, the minimum expected sentence is 15 years - even taking into account the mitigating circumstances.' Culley had been detained for 61 days before the hearing while the prosecution investigated where the 12kg (26lbs) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish, found in a travel bag, came from, and whether she was planning on handing it over to someone else. A request for bail citing her pregnancy was denied and a further hearing was scheduled for September 2. The teen was stopped at Tbilisi airport back in May in a suspected sting operation and was found with drugs with a six-figure street value. The huge haul was found in the then-18-year-old's suitcase. She was flying into the country on a plane from Sharjah in the UAE. Prior to her arrest in the Georgian capital, Culley sparked a massive international search operation after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand. She was charged with purchasing 446g of tetraphenol cannabinol and 11.2kg of cannabis abroad. Prosecutor David Mestvirishvili previously said she faced up to 20 years behind bars. The teen has maintained that she is innocent and instead says she was violently coerced into trafficking the narcotics. Mr Tsaluqelashvili's statement comes after the 19-year-old smiled at her mother Lyanne Kennedy, 44, after revealing she was expecting a boy while attending a court hearing. Ms Kennedy appeared visibly distressed dressed in a cream top and matching tracksuit trousers but her face lit up when she heard her daughter's news. The concerned mother whispered to her daughter, 'How are you?' and Bella nervously responded with a smile and a nod. The Teesside teenager then showed off the Georgian she has been learning from her cellmates, addressing the judge by saying 'Garmajoba', which means hello. During the hearing the told the judge: 'I hope you can understand the story from my eyes. I never thought something like this would happen to me.' She then ended her statement by saying 'madloba' - which means thank you. Ms Kennedy said outside court that she initially thought her daughter had been locked up in the American state of Georgia. 'It's been a pretty easy process, the solicitor is very good at what he does,' she said. 'I love Georgia, I love the buildings. It's a beautiful country, I've been here three times already, I'm going to visit Bella tomorrow. We initially thought it was Georgia in America.' Culley's lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, insisted a plea bargain for his client to return to Britain is 'quite likely' and the 'opportunity has been mentioned several times'. During the hearingon Thursday, Mr Salakaia argued once more that there was 'no malicious intent' on his client's part and said there was 'irrefutable evidence' that she was 'pressured and forced' into smuggling drugs. He claims a British gang in Thailand forced her to smuggle the drugs after threatening to decapitate her and kill her family. He said her testimony includes 'the names of the individuals who forced her to transport it' and said that her mother present was among those threatened. Mr Salakaia said all his client was told was to meet 'certain individuals' in Tbilisi, and was so naive she thought the city was the name of the country. He said her bag 'wasn't even locked' after going through three countries and two continents'. Mr Salakaia responded that Bella's family have put up a 50,000 lari (£13,700) bail and can provide her with an address in Tbilisi. He said: 'Bella has obvious health conditions, she is soon to become a mother to a baby boy and I'd want her to experience it while free. 'It's a pivotal moment in one's life, especially one so young. She is merely 19. As for the prosecutor's claim that she might escape and there are no links binding her to this country, her parents are ready to ensure that she will have an easily identifiable address here. 'So if she were to be released on bail and asked to come to the police office twice per month. Pregnancy needs special treatment.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Pregnant Brit ‘drug mule' Bella Culley facing 15 years in jail despite plea she was forced to smuggle £200k of cannabis
TEENAGE drug mule suspect Bella Culley faces 15 years in jail despite her plea that she was forced to peddle drugs from Thailand, prosecutors revealed today. Bella, 19, was caught in the former Soviet state of Georgia in May with £200,000 worth of cannabis in her bags. 5 5 She is seeking a plea bargain deal, claiming she was burned with a hot iron and shown a beheading video by a Thai gang, which forced her to fly to Tbilisi.. But, speaking for the first time, Georgian prosecutor Vakhtang Tsaluqelashvili revealed that he plans to contest the pregnant teenager's claims. And he added that the state has found evidence which proves her smuggling crime was premeditated and coolly carried out. Mr Tsaluqelashvili told The Sun: 'We have evidence confirming that the defendant acted with prior intent. 'She passed through several airports, and at no stage did she display any such, let's say, position or behaviour that would make us think this was not an intentional crime. 'Among other things, at the moment of her arrest, she did not say anything of this kind to the Georgian customs officers either. 'Given the gravity of the offence committed, the minimum expected sentence is 15 years - even taking into account the mitigating circumstances.' Bella got pregnant after a fling with an unidentified British man on the first leg of her disastrous backpacking trip and revealed she was expecting a baby boy in court on Thursday. The naive youngster from Billingham, Teesside, said she was forced to board a plane and never saw the baggage containing 31lbs of cannabis and hashish until she was arrested. She also claimed she had no idea where Georgia was and tried to raise the alarm when she boarded a flight from Bangkok. New CCTV of Brit 'mule' Bella May Culley 'smuggling £200k of cannabis' released as cops slam her claims she was coerced But CCTV produced by Thai police does not show her attempting to alert officers at the airport. Mr Tsaluqelashvil said a plea bargain deal between the prosecution and defence was still possible - but may still result in jail time or a suspended sentence plus a fine. Her lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia said that a plea bargain for his client to return to Britain was "quite likely" adding the "opportunity has been mentioned several times". Mr Salakaia told Tbilisi City Court yesterday: 'Bella has an obvious health condition - she is soon to be a mother to a baby boy and I want her to experience it while free. 'It's a pivotal moment in one's life, especially one so young. She is only 19.' Mr Salakaia added: 'There was no malicious intent on Bella's part - she was pressured and forced and there is irrefutable evidence of that. 5 5 "Her testimony contains even the names and last names of the individuals who forced her to transport it, she was threatened, as well as her family, including her mother who is present today. 'I want to underline that she didn't hand in the baggage - all she knows is that there is this luggage and she will be met by certain individuals once she arrives. 'The bag wasn't even locked, and it went through three countries and two continents, while Bella to this day is unaware whether Tbilisi is a country or a city. 'Bella didn't commit this crime and there is no grounds to doubt her testimony. I hope you are convinced your honor and knowing your past practice. 'I am sure she won't be found guilty." Bella - who has been supported at hearings by her mum Lyanne Kennedy and oil rig worker dad Niel Culley - is due back in court in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on September 2. Inside the dark world of Brit 'drug mules' A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months. In April and May, two Brit women were arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling. Bella was the first after she allegedly tried to smuggle a suitcase of weed into Georgia. Meanwhile, former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee was also caught allegedly trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million into Sri Lanka. Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl. If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence. As a young mum was detained in Germany for allegedly smuggling cannabis in her bags on a flight from Thailand - in yet another shocking case. Glamorous Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth, Herts, was detained at Munich Airport on April 21 as she tried to collect her luggage. It comes as a Brit couple claiming to be tourists from Thailand have been busted with more than 33kg of cannabis in their suitcases at a Spanish airport. The pair were picked out by suspicious cops at Valencia Airport after displaying a 'nervous and evasive attitude' and are now behind bars on drug trafficking charges. Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world. Then last month, a six-year-old British boy was arrested in Mauritius suspected of smuggling part of a £1.6million dope haul stuffed inside his wheelie case. The lad was picked up by customs officials along with his mum and five other Brits as they arrived on the tropical island. Authorities branded the use of a child in the audacious drug smuggling plot as 'inhumane".
