Overview

• Bella May Culley was arrested on May 11 at Tbilisi International Airport with 14 kg of cannabis and hashish in her luggage, according to Georgian authorities.
• The teenager, who claims to be pregnant, faces up to a life sentence under Georgian law if convicted of drug smuggling charges.
• Culley is being held at Prison No. 5, Georgia's only women's prison, which has been criticized for overcrowded and degrading conditions by human rights groups.
• Her father, Niel Culley, has traveled to Georgia and vowed to stay as long as necessary, though he has not yet been able to visit his daughter.
• Experts suggest that Bella may have been exploited by Thai drug cartels, which are reportedly targeting young British travelers as mules following a crackdown on postal smuggling routes.