A British teenager at the centre of an international missing person investigation has been found in a Georgian prison, where she is being held on serious drug charges — and has now claimed she is pregnant.
Bella May Culley, 18, was arrested after allegedly smuggling 14 kilograms (about 30 pounds) of cannabis into Georgia, a former Soviet republic. Authorities say she was caught carrying 34 packs of marijuana and 20 packs of hashish in her luggage.
During a hearing at Tbilisi City Court, Culley announced she is pregnant. A medical examination has been ordered to confirm the claim. Her lawyer told MailOnline that she is “terrified and confused” as she remains in custody.
The teenager had flown out to the Philippines shortly after Easter before continuing on to Thailand, frequently sharing photos on social media. Her family grew concerned when her online posts abruptly stopped.
Culley also failed to call her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, as scheduled on a Saturday, prompting alarm. The lack of communication led her family to fear the worst.
Her father Neil Culley and sister Kerry flew to Thailand in an effort to track her down, desperate for answers about her disappearance.
Neil is now heading to Georgia, where his daughter is imprisoned. Her legal team says she is struggling to cope with the situation inside the prison.
The family attempted to contact immigration services and the airline Bella had flown with, but neither provided helpful information regarding her location.
It later emerged that Culley had been detained in Georgia, where she is now facing a potential sentence of up to 20 years or even life imprisonment.
She is currently held in the country’s only women’s prison, described by local media as a harsh facility in a state of decay.
Footage released from Georgia showed Culley being led in handcuffs through the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi.
Reports indicate that she was stopped at Tbilisi International Airport with a large quantity of drugs hidden in her bags.
Local sources confirmed the presence of both marijuana and hashish, totaling 14 kilograms of illegal substances.
Culley’s mother, Lyanne, expressed regret and worry, telling The Sun she had pleaded with her daughter not to go to Thailand.
“I begged her to come home. I don’t trust some of the boys over there,” she said. “But she wanted to meet up with some friends she made over there on a previous trip. I don’t know who any of them are.”
“When she stopped answering messages, I assumed it was because she was flying back to surprise me. But then nothing.”
