After being reported missing in Thailand, a British teenager has been arrested in a different country – almost 4,000 miles away.
Bella May Culley’s family explained yesterday (13 May) that they hadn’t heard from the 18-year-old in four days. The teen from Billingham, County Durham, first flew out to the Philippines just after Easter and is believed to have travelled to Thailand around 3 May.
Having previously been posting on social media before apparently becoming uncontactable, it's reported she was last seen in the Pattaya area of the Southeast Asian country as her relatives flew out to search for her.
However, after her mum spoke to media in the morning, an update in the afternoon from Cleveland Police revealed that an 18-year-old woman from Billingham had been arrested in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences.
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An update from the force read: “Update on Billingham woman who was reported missing overseas.
“We have this afternoon had confirmation from the authorities in Georgia that an 18-year-old woman from Billingham has been arrested there on suspicion of drugs offences and that she remains in their custody.”
It’s unclear why or how Bella went from Thailand to Georgia in Eastern Europe.
Local media reports she was allegedly found with ’34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana’ in her bag ‘as well as 20 packages of hashish’.
This kind of accusation is said to carry a sentence of up to 20 years of life imprisonment in the country’s only female prison, Tbilisi Prison No.5.
Bella was in regular contact with her mum and had been due to speak with her on Saturday. However, her family has had no word from her since and it’s thought her phone is switched off.
The teen’s dad Neil Culley and aunt Kerrie Culley, had flown out to Thailand in order to seek answers over her disappearance.
Before this update from police, Bella’s mum, Lyanne Kennedy told Teeside Live yesterday morning: “She was posting loads of pictures and then she went to Thailand on about May 3.
"The last message she sent was to me and that was on Saturday at 5.30pm saying she was going to Facetime me later. That was the last message anyone has received from what we can figure out up to now.”
Kennedy added that she just wanted ‘her home and safe or to hear her gorgeous little voice'.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told LADbible Group: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Jess Battison