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Pregnant Briton Bella Culley Moved to Georgia Mother-and-Baby Unit as Plea Deal Sets Two-Year Term

Her family says a 500,000 lari payment under the plea will be credited before a sentencing hearing next week.

Overview

  • Culley, 19, was arrested in May at Tbilisi airport after authorities found about 11kg of cannabis and more than 400g of hashish in her luggage.
  • A prosecutor announced a plea bargain for two years' imprisonment and a 500,000 lari fine, and her lawyer confirmed she has pleaded guilty.
  • Relatives say they have transferred the 500,000 lari, with time already served expected to count toward the term.
  • Heavily pregnant and due in December, she has been moved from Rustavi Prison Number Five to a mother-and-baby unit with improved conditions.
  • She has testified that she was coerced and tortured by criminal gangs to carry the drugs, a claim reported by media but not adjudicated in court.