Family of arrested Bella May Culley say she was 'taken advantage of'
- Bella May Culley, an 18-year-old British teenager from County Durham, was arrested at Tbilisi International Airport, Georgia, on drug smuggling charges in May 2025.
- Bella had traveled in Southeast Asia after finishing college and disappeared in Thailand before unexpectedly ending up detained nearly 4,000 miles away in Georgia, with unclear circumstances behind this shift.
- She faces charges of importing about 14 kilograms of cannabis, which could result in up to 20 years or life imprisonment, and has exercised her right to remain silent while confirming pregnancy in court.
- Family members and her lawyer believe Bella was vulnerable and taken advantage of, with her grandfather expressing fear she will not survive a long sentence and her lawyer noting she appeared confused and unprepared for the severity of the charges.
- Bella remains remanded in Georgia’s only women’s prison awaiting trial, while her family struggles with blocked visits and plans to raise legal funds amid concerns over harsh prison conditions.
15 Articles
15 Articles


Brit ‘smuggler's’ links to China scheme as she was paid to pose as firm's boss
DRUGS charge teen Bella Culley has been linked to a Chinese “mule directorship” scheme paying £550 to dodgy directors. British backpacker Bella, 18, 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. Bella, arrested for smuggling 30lb of marijuana into Georgia, has links to ‘mule directorships’, a source told The SunFacebook East2WestShe revealed in court …
Family of 'drug smuggling' teenager say 'criminals took advantage of her'
Bella’s grandfather has said he fears she was taken advantage of while she was on holiday in Thailand, and that she’s got ‘sucked into something’ she knows nothing about (Picture: east2west /Facebook) The grandfather of a British teenage student who was arrested in Georgia for alleged drug smuggling said he believed she had been ‘taken advantage of’ by experienced criminals. Bella May Culley, 18, has appeared in court charged with smuggling 14 …
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