Pregnant British Teen Bella Culley Released From Georgian Prison After Drug Smuggling Plea Deal

Bella Culley, a 19-year-old British teenager from Billingham, is set to be released from prison in Georgia after pleading guilty to smuggling £200,000 worth of cannabis. She has already served nearly six months on remand following her arrest at Tbilisi airport in May and was expected to face jail time. However, her family paid a substantial fine of 500,000 Georgian Lari (£138,000) as part of a plea deal, and prosecutors took into account her young age, good behavior, full cooperation, and pregnancy, with her due to give birth before Christmas. Despite initial expectations of a two-year sentence, a last-minute plea bargain and mercy from the Georgian authorities have led to her early release. Bella claims she was coerced into drug trafficking by a gang in Thailand that threatened her family and abused her, including burning and forcing her to watch violent videos. Her lawyer and family expressed relief and joy over the decision, which allows her to leave Georgia and avoid giving birth behind bars.