Pregnant British woman freed in Georgia after drug smuggling case

A 19-year-old British citizen arrested in Georgia for attempting to smuggle drugs into the country has been released after reaching a plea agreement, the Tbilisi City Court ruled on Monday.

Bella May Culley, who is pregnant, was detained at Tbilisi International Airport earlier this year after police discovered 12 kg of marijuana and 2 kg of hashish in her luggage. She had initially faced a potential life sentence under Georgia’s strict anti-drug trafficking laws.

Judge Giorgi Gelashvili announced that Culley was found guilty but freed based on a plea deal. She was sentenced to five months and 24 days in prison - time that was counted as already served during her pre-trial detention. The court additionally imposed a fine of 500,000 GEL, approximately £145,000.