A British teenager arrested on drug smuggling charges is being held in the same Georgian prison as a convicted double murderer described as the country’s “most dangerous woman”.
Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, was detained at Tbilisi International Airport after allegedly arriving from Thailand with a suitcase containing 31lb of cannabis and hashish worth around £200,000.
She is currently being held on remand in Women’s Penitentiary No.5, a high-security facility outside the Georgian capital, where she could remain for at least nine months before trial.
Among those already imprisoned at the Soviet-era jail is Magda Papidze, 35, who is serving a life sentence for killing her husband and five-year-old son in a brutal hammer attack.
Papidze, once dubbed Georgia’s most dangerous woman, was seen shopping with her son for a sledgehammer which she later used to bludgeon her husband, Omar Kaphiashvili, as he slept. She then strangled her young son, Tornike.
The father’s body was later discovered outside the couple’s apartment, while Tornike was found dead in a nearby car. Investigators later discovered that their home had been cleaned to hide the evidence.
Despite denying the killings, Papidze was convicted in 2016 after her diary revealed an affair and detailed her plan to start a new life with her lover.
She became the first woman in Georgian legal history to be found unanimously guilty by all 12 jurors – in just two hours.
Culley could now face a sentence of 15 years to life if found guilty of drug trafficking – and could potentially serve that sentence in the same prison as Papidze.
Her family believes she was groomed and manipulated by individuals she met in Thailand who supplied her with the drugs. The teen had been missing from Southeast Asia before appearing in Georgia.
It is believed authorities acted on a tip-off when she was arrested upon arrival at Tbilisi airport. The drugs were allegedly found in her hold luggage.
Papidze is reportedly not allowed to mix with other prisoners and is under strict isolation, but has previously been permitted to work in the jail’s raspberry garden. She is pushing to be granted more interaction with inmates – including possibly Bella Culley.
Culley is understood to have told authorities she was “in love” with a man, only known as “Russ” or “Ross”, who is now being sought by both police and her family. She reportedly believes he is the father of her unborn child and may have introduced her to drug traffickers.
Reports suggest Culley may be forced to give birth and raise her baby inside the prison’s nursery and kindergarten units if convicted.
Papidze, who ended her pregnancy after her arrest, appealed to be transferred to a facility with a less severe regime in 2024 – but her request was denied.
At the time, her lawyer Eka Kobesashvili described the conditions she was living under, saying she spent 23 hours a day inside a small cell with only one hour of “air time” – limited to a concrete space with bars instead of a roof.
“She can see the sky and breathe, but that’s it,” Kobesashvili said.
The lawyer also said Papidze suffers from various health conditions including diabetes and endocrine issues and entered menopause shortly after her arrest. These, she said, were a result of the harsh conditions.
“She’s had exemplary behaviour throughout and has never broken any prison rules,” she added. “We believe she should be allowed more movement and interaction to protect her health.”
Papidze has previously been allowed to take short-term jobs within the prison and has expressed a desire to study, work, and mix with other inmates – raising the possibility of her encountering Bella in the future.
She continues to insist she was wrongly convicted and is fighting to prove her innocence.
“You can throw a person in prison, but you shouldn’t take away their right to fight,” she said. “You can detain them physically, but not mentally. All they want is to pressure me until they push me to a fatal end.”
A legal source in Georgia told Sky News: “Papidze is viewed as the most dangerous female inmate in the country and is under tight control. But if her appeal is ever accepted, she could be allowed to associate with other prisoners – potentially including Bella Culley.”
Culley’s father Niel, 49, an oil rig electrician based in Vietnam, and her aunt Kerrie Culley have travelled to Georgia in an effort to visit her. However, prison red tape is reportedly preventing them from making contact.
Mr Culley has declined to comment publicly and remains unsure how his daughter ended up with the drugs in her luggage.
The teenager’s arrest and imprisonment have sparked concern both in Georgia and the UK, with fears growing over her welfare, especially if she is placed in long-term proximity with hardened and violent inmates.
