Niel Culley, 49, an offshore oil rig technician living in Vietnam, dashed to Georgia as soon as he heard of his daughter Bella’s arrest last Tuesday evening.
Tragically, Niel has been unable to see his daughter, who is currently in a notorious Georgian jail, as reported by MailOnline.
“I can’t say anything but I will be here for as long as it takes,” he confided to the Mail. “I obviously have no experience in dealing with situations like this and it’s very difficult.”
Bella is being detained at Women’s Penitentiary Number 5 near Tbilisi after being apprehended at the city’s airport on May 11, where authorities discovered 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish in her baggage following her £550 Air Arabia journey from Bangkok via Sharjah.
Her father is joined by his sister, Kerrie Culley, aged 51, in Georgia, enduring a harrowing wait, with bureaucratic hurdles reportedly barring them from visiting Bella until at least Wednesday. She first faced court on May 13 and is now remanded until her next hearing set for July 1, reports the Mirror.
The incident has sounded alarms among specialists, cautioning that British tourists might be targets for Thai drug syndicates. This comes after another Briton was held for allegedly trafficking cannabis from Thailand.
Former Georgian drug enforcement officer, Jemal Janashia, told the Daily Mail: “The fact that two young British women have taken off with large quantities of drugs from the same airport will interest investigators.”
He added a stark warning: “They will be concerned about the possibility of a link and that Thai gangs may be attempting to recruit vulnerable British travellers.”
Cartels may have been using the Royal Ploughing Ceremony – Thailand’s airport’s busiest period – to slip through illicit goods.
However, a recent counter-smuggling operation has seen drug contraband plummet by 90% since last year – it’s a drop from 15 tonnes seized in late 2024 to just 1.5 tonnes in early 2025.
Janashia said: “After the crackdown on postal drug deliveries, the Thai cartel are seeking new routes.”
“Georgia does look like an attractive middle transit point: It is relatively close and easy to reach Europe from.”
Amid a crackdown that has seen over 800 individuals detained for smuggling since July 2024 – including 50 Britons – and more than nine tonnes of cannabis confiscated, there’s an escalating concern that criminal networks are increasingly using unwitting drug mules.
Mr Janashia, who is advising the family, informed the Mail that full cooperation with the authorities would be in her interests.
He explained: “First of all, I would advise her to cooperate, together with the lawyer, with the investigation, indicate who were the youths that she was in touch with in Thailand.
“And also indicate whether there was a contact person in Georgia as well.
“The court will primarily aim to ascertain if she has previously been involved in selling or trafficking drugs and uncover her criminal history. If it’s her first offence, that would be considered a mitigating circumstance.”
On being questioned whether he would suggest Bella should disclose everything to the police, Mr Janashia gave a conclusive: “Of course.”
