Tbilisi, Georgia-
18-year-old British teenager Bella May Culley, reported missing while traveling in Thailand, was discovered over 4,000 miles away in a jail in Tbilisi, Georgia, facing serious drug smuggling charges.
The case, which sparked an international search and captured widespread attention, has raised questions about how the young nursing student from Billingham, County Durham, ended up in such a dire situation.
Bella May Culley’s ordeal began when her family lost contact with her on Saturday, May 10, 2025. She was last believed to be in Pattaya, although evidence on this was not solid. Culley had been traveling solo on what her family described as a “world tour,” having spent several weeks in the Philippines with a friend after Easter before arriving in Thailand around May 3rd. Her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, told Teesside Live that Bella was in regular contact, often sharing updates and photos, and was scheduled to FaceTime her on Saturday. When that call never came and Bella’s phone appeared to be switched off, alarm bells rang.
The family’s distress prompted Cleveland Police to issue a missing person appeal on May 13, urging anyone with information about Bella’s whereabouts to come forward. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) supported the family, and Thai authorities treated the case as a “high priority.” Bella’s father, Neil Culley, and aunt, Kerrie Culley, flew to Thailand to assist in the search, fearing the worst after days of silence.
Initial reports suggested Bella might still be in the Pattaya area, but Thai immigration records later indicated she had left the country, adding to the mystery. Her case was widely shared on social media, although The Pattaya News held off for official Thai authorities to comment or investigate, per editorial policy.
On late Tuesday, May 13th, 2025, Cleveland Police delivered a bombshell update: Bella May Culley was not missing but had been arrested in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on suspicion of drug offenses. According to The Northern Echo and Chronicle Live, Georgian authorities confirmed that an 18-year-old woman from Billingham was in custody after customs officers at Tbilisi International Airport discovered her luggage contained illegal substances. Local media in Georgia reported that Bella was caught with 14 kilograms of cannabis, including 34 hermetically sealed packages of marijuana and 20 packages of hashish, following a tip-off that triggered a scanner check.
Footage shared by Georgian broadcasters showed the teenager being escorted into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi in handcuffs. The Daily Mail reported that Bella faced charges of illegally purchasing, storing, and importing a “particularly large amount” of narcotics into Georgia, offenses that carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years or even life imprisonment under Georgia’s stringent anti-drug laws. A judge denied her bail, citing her as a flight risk, and she was remanded in custody pending trial.
Marijuana is legal in small amounts for self use in the country of Georgia, but smuggling large amounts in is highly illegal.
The revelation that Bella was in Georgia, not Thailand, left her family and authorities grappling with how she ended up so far from her last known location. Thai police investigations in Pattaya found no trace of Bella, and immigration records suggested she had already departed Thailand before her phone went silent. The circumstances of her travel to Georgia remain unclear, with no public details on when or why she left Thailand.
A police spokesperson speculated that Bella may have been “lured by criminals” to act as a drug mule, possibly in exchange for the promise of a “holiday of a lifetime.” This theory aligns with known tactics used by drug trafficking networks, which often target young, vulnerable travelers. However, no evidence has been publicly confirmed to support this claim, and questions persist about Bella’s movements between May 5th and her arrest in Tbilisi. Cannabis is legal in Thailand, including purchasing fairly large amounts, and as a result is often used illegally to attempt to smuggle cannabis to countries where it is not legal or has limited legal allowance like Georgia.
Bella’s family was devastated by the news. Her mother, Lyanne, had earlier expressed her longing to “hear her gorgeous little voice” and bring her daughter home safely. The discovery that Bella was alive but facing severe charges in a foreign country shifted their anguish to a new kind of uncertainty. The family’s attempts to piece together Bella’s itinerary revealed she had inquired about a flight from Bangkok via Frankfurt, but the payment never went through, according to The Daily Mail. This detail deepened the mystery of how she traveled to Georgia.
Georgia’s harsh anti-drug laws pose a challenge for Bella and her family. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the severity of the charges, and local media reported that her case has drawn attention due to its international nature. The FCDO continues to support the family, but consular assistance in such cases is typically limited to ensuring fair treatment and facilitating communication, not influencing legal outcomes.
Cleveland Police, while relieved to confirm Bella’s whereabouts, are no longer treating the case as a missing person investigation. The focus now shifts to the Georgian legal system, where Bella’s fate will be determined. Her family, still reeling from the ordeal, faces the daunting task of navigating a foreign judicial process while grappling with the shock of their daughter’s arrest.
