NEW CCTV footage of Bella May Culley has been released – which cops say rubbishes her claim she was coerced into transporting a £200,000 drug stash.
The 19-year-old Brit is currently behind bars in Georgia after being caught at Tblisi International Airport with 30 pounds of marijuana and hashish in her luggage on May 10.
Bella May Culley claims she was coerced into transporting £200k worth of cannabis[/caption]
Police confirmed she she used a British passport to exit Thailand[/caption]
But now, furious cops in Thailand say they’re not buying it, saying the footage backs them up.
Police Major General Cherngron Rimphadee said: “This matter is not complicated.
“Police have reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed that she used a British passport to exit through the automatic passport control channel.
“As a result, she did not interact with or speak to any immigration officers and simply exited the country.”
Thai authorities say Bella’s claims of seeking help from customs staff are “absolutely baseless”.
Surveillance shows the teen, from Billingham, Teesside, apparently passing calmly through Suvarnabhumi Airport’s automated gates without raising any red flags.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that any immigration or police officers forced or threatened the suspect to smuggle drugs out of the country,” Lt. Gen. Choengron said.
“It was a deliberate departure.”
The footage had reportedly been shared with media outlets in an attempt to debunk Bella’s courtroom testimony in Tblisi, where she claimed she “didn’t want to do this” and was allegedly forced under torture.
Bella’s lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, claimed corrupt Thai police officers were in on the trafficking ring and that when Bella turned to one for help, she realised he was part of the gang.
Salakaia alleged she and her family were threatened with beheading if she didn’t comply.
He went on to claim that “They told her: we know the addresses of your parents, we know where your 16-year-old brother is”, before showing her a video of a person being beheaded.
The court was also shown a scar on her arm which Salakaia said was inflicted before the suitcase containing the drugs – which she allegedly never touched – was given to her.
But Thai police say it’s all an attempt to wriggle out of punishment.
Officials believe the teen’s high-stakes tale is part of a strategy to secure a lighter sentence in Georgia.
Authorities say Bella’s claims of seeking help from customs staff are ‘absolutely baseless’[/caption]
Bella is currently locked up in Georgia[/caption]
Cops said cannabis was found wrapped in air-tight bags in Bella’s luggage[/caption]
The Georgian prosecution has charged her with “illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics” and “illegally importing them into the country”.
Bella currently faces up to 20 years or even life behind bars if convicted.
The teen, who now claims she is 18 weeks pregnant, was previously seen online bragging about “getting up to criminal activities” and flashing thick wads of cash.
Thai cops said she would now be blacklisted for entering the country “to commit a drug offence”, citing a breach of Section 12 of the Immigration Act.
Bella’s next court appearance in Tbilisi is scheduled for July 10.
