Fears grow Brit ‘smuggling' cases Bella Culley & Charlotte Lee ARE linked as similarities including ‘mystery man' emerge

The Sun

20-05-2025

Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
Published: Invalid Date,
FEARS are growing that Brit "drug smuggling" cases Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee are linked, as similarities including a "mystery man" have emerged.
Within a single day of 18-year-old backpacker Bella getting arrested in Georgia, Charlotte, 21, suffered the same fate over 3,000 miles away.
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Former air stewardess Charlotte was caught trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million and was arrested after stepping off a flight to Sri Lanka from Thailand last Monday.
Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of synthetic drug kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl.
Meanwhile 18-year-old Bella - who claims to be pregnant - is in custody following her arrest in Georgia's Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 4,000 miles away in Thailand.
And with the two young Brits now both awaiting their fate locked up in disturbing foreign jails, a number of striking similarities have emerged over their cases.
Both women are believed to have used the same airport to flee, allegedly with the drugs on them as cops say they flew solo from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport.
A potential link between the two alleged drug smuggling cases appears to likely form part of the investigations being executed by the Georgian and Sri Lankan authorities.
Another similarity between the two alleged drug smuggling cases is how well the narcotics were stashed.
Shocking images published by Sri Lanka customs narcotics control unit show how drugs had been allegedly stuffed into Charlotte's luggage in large vacuum bags.
This suggests the stash was packed with a top level of professionalism.
Bella's alleged stash was also discovered in stacked, airtight sealed packages pointing to a similar-style operation.
Bella Culley's dad stands by daughter amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers
And in another twist, the two had individually told their loved ones they planned on meeting a mystery man during their travels.
Bella revealed to her family she was meeting an unknown man in the Philippines who had moved to the country from the North East.
The backpacker's social media went on to show her clearly in the company of a male stranger - but he was never clearly pictured or named.
Bella's grandad William Culley, 80, said that she appears to have spent most of March in Thailand but also spent time in the Philippines with a man called 'Ross or Russ.'
Bella's family members also revealed last Wednesday that she went on to hook up in Thailand with a group of young men from the north west of England before being reported missing.
Meanwhile Charlotte, a former TUI stewardess, left for Thailand weeks ago, with relatives saying she had made vague comments about meeting a man in Thailand.
She had recently endured a painful break-up, they added.
If found guilty, south Londoner Charlotte could face a hefty 25-year sentence.
And a sentence ranging from 20 years to life could be a possibility for teen Bella from Country Durham, according to prosecutors.
Bella was detained in Georgia following a tip-off on May 1 1 after a 20-hour flight from Bangkok via Sharjah in the UAE with the drug stash in her hold bag.
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She joked online of 'Bonnie and Clyde' hijinks and was pictured smoking a suspicious-looking cigarette and showing off wads of cash.
The 18-year-old was sent to the brutal Women's Penitentiary No. 5 in the town of Rustavi - a slammer notorious for its hellish conditions just outside Tbilisi.
Celebrity Georgian lawyer Mariam Kublashvili, 39, was allowed to visit Bella for 30 minutes on Monday and brought the first news of her condition behind bars.
Shockingly, she revealed the pregnant teen had not received a proper medical examination since telling a Tbilisi court she was pregnant.
She also assessed that the shy and scared young Briton was a victim rather than a calculating criminal who deserves to be caged for years.
Before her arrest, the great-granddaughter of a former Labour MP had been reported missing during a holiday in Thailand.
She had originally jetted to the Philippines to meet an old friend but reportedly changed her plans last minute to go to Thailand with a gang of British lads unknown to her.
Dad of Brit Bella Culley, who's being held in Georgia after vanishing on Thai hols, shares his fears
A family friend claimed Bella was "completely exploited".
They said: "She's just a normal 18-year-old. She's not some hardened criminal."
Bella's pregnancy has yet to be confirmed by medical checks - but her dad, Neil, 49, appeared distressed as he faced the possibility of his first grandchild being born in prison.
Puffing shakily on a cigarette, he told The Sun: 'I'm sorry - I don't want to say anything.'
And former air stewardess Charlotte is being kept in a Sri Lankan jail cell with 'hardly room to lie down'.
A family friend said: 'We're frantically worried. She was arrested then seemingly abandoned and is rotting in a jail cell. She's very scared.'
Another friend told The Sun on Sunday: 'She's been told if convicted, because of the size of the drugs haul, she's looking at between 20 and 25 years in jail. British Embassy staff warned her she's going nowhere soon.'
Meanwhile, an Australian tourist has been arrested at a Thai airport after allegedly trying to smuggle 22kg of meth hidden in his case.
Tran Huybao Khang, 28, was reportedly caught with the drugs while trying to board a plane at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on May 18.
Staff flagged his belongings after finding "density abnormalities" in his suitcase during inspections.
They said they rifled through the bags and discovered the plastic packs of methamphetamine inside.
Authorities said Tran, of Vietnamese and Australian descent, was due to fly to Melbourne on Thai Airways flight TG461, an Airbus A350, before his arrest.
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