Georgia's strict laws for tourists as British teen is arrested there after going missing 4,000 miles way in Thailand

The UK government has warned Brits about travelling to Georgia as it's got some pretty strict laws for tourists.

Bella May Culley was believed to have gone missing in Thailand earlier this month, but was later discovered 4,000 miles away, in Georgia.

The 18-year-old from Billingham, County Durham, had been arrested on charges of 'illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it' into the country.

A statement from the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed: “Law enforcement officers, as a result of defendant's luggage inspection at Tbilisi International Airport, seized a particularly large amount of the narcotic drug ‘marijuana’, up to 12 kilograms and 2.068 kg of the narcotic drug ‘hashish’ as evidence.”

Bella has been arrested in Georgia (TikTok/@bellamayculleyx)

Bella - who has since claimed she is pregnant - could face life imprisonment if she is found guilty.

Her Georgian lawyer said (via MailOnline): “My client is currently exercising the right to remain silent, so we will provide detailed information later, once they decide how to proceed.

"A formal request must be submitted to the relevant authority, and then more detailed information regarding my client can be provided. At this stage, [she is] invoking [her] right to silence, and further developments will be shared later once a decision is made."

Bella had reportedly been in regular contact with her family prior to going missing (Facebook)

Over on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website, travel to some parts of Georgia is advised against.

Under the section on 'Illegal drugs and prison sentences' they explain: "If you use illegal drugs of any kind, you can get heavy fines or long prison terms.

"Smuggling even very small amounts of drugs carries a prison term of 5 to 25 years and heavy fines."

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), first-time illegal drug consumption or possession - in which a small quantity is used for personal use - is considered a 'misdemeanour' in Georgia. However, if this is repeated within a year it results in criminal liability.

HRW explains, however, that Georgian law has not established a threshold for 'small quantities'.

"Georgian law does not establish a threshold for small quantities of approximately three-quarters of the substances classified as illicit drugs, including those commonly used in Georgia, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, and desomorphine," HRW explains.

"Possession of even particles of these substances, including residue in a syringe, automatically qualifies as a large amount, triggering a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence."

Meanwhile, each year, police allegedly detain a random selection of people for drug testing, with around 30 percent testing positive.

The teen remained silent after telling the court she's 'pregnant' (Facebook)

While the case is investigated, Bella faces months in a Georgian prison.

The prosecutor requested 55 days to find evidence, and it is understood that this could be extended by a further seven months.

The teen’s lawyer, Ia Touda, explained police want to establish where the ‘up to 12kg’ of marijuana and ‘2kg’ of hashish had come from, and whether she was ‘planning to hand it over to someone’.

"They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from [the narcotics] and was she planning to hand it over to someone," the lawyer said.

"That's what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone."

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told the LADbible Group: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia and are in contact with the local authorities."