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An 18-year-old British teenager, Bella May Culley, has been arrested in Georgia.
Culley was detained after being reported missing while in Pattaya, Thailand.
She faces charges of drug offences, including possession of marijuana.
An 18-year-old British teenager, Bella May Culley, who vanished while travelling in Pattaya, Thailand, has been arrested in Georgia. Last seen in the Thai city, she was detained thousands of miles away in the Caucasus region, according to Cleveland Police. On Tuesday, Georgian authorities informed police that Culley was in custody on suspicion of drug offences, The Independent reported.
Ms Cully has been charged with illegally purchasing, possessing, and importing large quantities of narcotics, including marijuana. According to Georgian authorities, if convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.
A statement read: "B.K., born in 2006, is charged with illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia. The committed crime envisions up to 20 years or life imprisonment."
According to local media, Bella May Culley was arrested at Tbilisi airport with 34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana and 20 packages of hashish in her possession. During her initial court hearing, Cully remained silent, and she was subsequently sent to a pre-trial detention facility for women in Rustavi, as reported by her lawyer.
Notably, Bella May Culley is the great-granddaughter of John Cook, a former Labour MP who represented Stockton North for 27 years and served as a deputy speaker of the House of Commons. John Cook died in January 2012 at the age of 76 due to lung cancer.
The 18-year-old, who recently completed a nursing course at Middlesbrough College, visited the tropical islands of Palawan and Panay. On April 16, she shared a TikTok video from the Philippines, captioned: "Needed a hug but instead made the biggest decision of my life and found peace in another country's culture and way of life." On May 3, she travelled to Thailand, where she stayed until her disappearance the following Saturday. During her trips, she posted videos and photos of snorkelling, exploring caves, and encountering turtles. Her final posts were on May 9, one day before she was reported missing.
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