Thai immigration authorities have rejected allegations made by a 19-year-old British woman facing drug charges in Georgia, asserting there is no evidence she was forced to traffic drugs out of Thailand. The rebuttal comes after the suspect, Bella May Culley, told a court in Tbilisi that she was tortured and coerced into smuggling illegal substances.
On July 2, 2025, Lieutenant General Choengron Rimpadee, Commissioner of Immigration Bureau 2, addressed the claims, presenting surveillance footage from Suvarnabhumi Airport showing Culley departing the country on May 10 without signs of distress. Thai records confirm she boarded Air Arabia flight G9822 to Sharjah, UAE, at 8:55 a.m., having cleared passport control unaided through the automated system.
“There is absolutely no factual basis to her claims,” Lt. Gen. Choengron said, adding that Culley made no requests for assistance and that no Thai officials were involved in any coercive conduct.
Thai authorities said Culley’s accusations appear to be an attempt to influence legal proceedings in Georgia, where she is charged with trafficking 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish. The narcotics were discovered in her luggage upon arrival at Tbilisi airport.
As a result of the case, Culley will now be listed in Thailand’s immigration system as a prohibited person due to verified involvement in narcotics-related offenses. Thai immigration stressed its ongoing collaboration with customs and anti-narcotics agencies to prevent illegal smuggling. Since January 2025, Thai authorities have assisted in 10 outbound drug-related arrests.
In court, Culley claimed she had been tortured in Thailand and forced to carry the drugs, presenting a scar as evidence and alleging she had been threatened with a hot iron. Her lawyer argued she was set up by unidentified individuals and that even a Thai police officer she approached for help was allegedly part of the trafficking operation.
Culley had reportedly traveled to Thailand from the Philippines before losing contact with family members. She was detained for 52 days by Georgian authorities, and her plea of not guilty was entered on July 1. Her next court appearance is scheduled for July 10.
