Brit medication mule Bella Culley provides delivery weeks after Georgia jail hell
Bella Culley, 19, was found guilty of smuggling drugs from Thailand into Georgia earlier this year and was released from prison on November 3 before giving birth on November 24
British drugs smuggler Bella Culley has announced the arrival of her baby following her release from a Georgian jail. The 19-year-old took to TikTok to share that she’d welcomed “my little 5lbs baba” on November 24. She walked free from prison on November 3 and was back with her loved ones by the end of that week.
In her TikTok clip, Ms Culley could be seen holding her newborn with a beaming grin. She provided commentary for the footage, saying: “Life is too short to sit anywhere other than where you’re supposed to be.”
The post ended cryptically with: “…and if you’re sitting at a table where you don’t feel like you’re being fed, even if you’re bringing a plate of food..”
The new mother was convicted of drug trafficking from Thailand into Georgia this year. Authorities alleged the Teesside teenager attempted to bring 12 kilograms (26.4 pounds) of cannabis and two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of hashish into the nation, reports the Mirror.
While prosecutors had contemplated a two-year term for the expectant British teenager, they ultimately “decided to consider the time she has already served”. She gained her freedom after receiving a sentence of five months and 25 days – precisely matching her time in detention.
Devoted mother Lyanne, 44, and father Niel, 49, collected nearly £140,000 to settle the court fees, following a plea agreement reached with prosecutors that permitted her return to the UK. She was transferred to a mother and baby prison facility after experiencing a difficult initial spell in custody during her almost six months of incarceration.
Speaking in Georgia upon her daughter’s release, Lyanne expressed being ‘so happy’ and proposed that Bella should christen her baby son after her solicitor Malkhaz Salakaia. Mr Salakhaia revealed that Ms Culley displayed clear physical evidence of torture when she arrived in Georgia.
Residents in Billingham, Co Durham, where Bella had been training to become a nurse before departing to Thailand for a holiday, revealed how ‘she didn’t even smoke, let alone take drugs’ before becoming entangled in the international cannabis trade.
She had originally disappeared whilst travelling in Thailand, and her solicitor confirmed that Georgian authorities had initiated a separate criminal inquiry into her coercion claims. It is understood that she became pregnant early during her journey across Asia.
Following her freedom, Ms Culley informed journalists at the time that she was “so happy”, and had never anticipated being released.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
