Pregnant British Teen Bella Culley Released from Georgian Jail

A pregnant British teenager, Bella Culley, has been freed from custody in Georgia after pleading guilty to drug smuggling charges, following months of detention in Tbilisi.

Culley, 19, from Billingham in northeast England, was sentenced to five months and 24 days by a Tbilisi court on November 3 but released immediately as she had already served that time in custody. She also paid a fine of 500,000 lari ($187,000).

Arrest and Trial

Culley disappeared in Thailand earlier this year before flying to Georgia in May, where she was arrested on arrival at Tbilisi International Airport. Prosecutors said she was found carrying 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish in her luggage.

Initially, she pleaded not guilty at a July hearing to possession and trafficking of illegal drugs. However, her family later paid the fine in compensation, paving the way for a plea deal and a reduced sentence.

Culley’s case has drawn significant public attention amid Georgia’s stricter penalties for drug offences. The government has recently introduced tougher laws, raising penalties for possession of small amounts of narcotics from 15 to 60 days in detention, and increasing fines from 500 to 2,000 lari.

Drug smuggling remains one of the most serious offences in Georgia, carrying potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

Culley, who is around 35 weeks pregnant, is expected to return to the United Kingdom following her release.