Pregnant British teen may get 2-years in Georgia prison for drug smuggling after plea deal

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, could receive a two-year prison sentence after her family paid more than $180,000 in a plea deal, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Culley, 19, who is pregnant, was arrested in May at Tbilisi Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12 kilograms (26.4 pounds) of marijuana and 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of hashish into the country. If convicted, she faced up to 15 years or life imprisonment, but a plea bargain intended to reduce her sentence is currently being finalized, her lawyer Malkhaz Salakhaia told reporters.

“Reaching an agreement with the prosecutor’s office is in its final stage. All the conditions under which a plea agreement will be concluded regarding the charges against Bella May Culley are known to my client, Bella May Culley, and her family members. Only the technical issues remain to be finalized, for which we need several more days,” Salakhaia said.

Salakhaia told The Associated Press that a sentence of two years in prison for the teenager is being discussed as part of a plea deal, but the final verdict will be announced on Monday.

He did not rule out that Culley could be pardoned by the president if she is convicted.

Culley’s mother, Lyanne Kennedy, told reporters that the family has paid 500,000 lari (approx $184,000) as part of the plea bargain.

In Georgia, a 3.7-million nation in the South Caucasus, the law allows for financial plea agreements that can be reached to reduce or eliminate a prison sentence in certain cases. Those plea agreements are often reached in drug-related cases.

Culley, who is from Teesside, in north east England, was reported missing in Thailand prior to her arrest at Tbilisi Airport on May 10. The teenager pleaded not guilty to the charges after her arrest, saying she was tortured in Thailand and forced to carry the drugs.

Salakhaia has told reporters that she showed visible physical signs of torture upon her arrival in Georgia.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether she changed her plea as part of the plea bargain.