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TEENAGE drug mule suspect Bella Culley’s family face a huge £100,000 fine to buy her freedom from a grim ex-Soviet jail, it was revealed today.
The 19-year-old tripper was held with £200,000 worth of drugs in Georgia on a flight from Thailand in May and was facing 20 years behind bars.
Bella faces years in a grim ex-Soviet jail if her freedom isn’t bought[/caption]
But her lawyer is close to clinching a deal which will enable her to walk free – provided her family stumps up a huge payout.
Bella – who fell pregnant on the disastrous backpacking trip – claims she was forced into trafficking by a Thai gang which branded her with an iron and showed her beheading videos.
Her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia has declined to provide the figure being discussed and told The Sun: “Negotiations are close to completion”.
But sources in Georgia estimate that prosecutors in the eastern European nation’s city court in capital Tbilisi are demanding around £100,000.
The judge in the case has indicated that Bella could be freed as soon as a deal is done but progress has been delayed as her family struggles to pull together the huge sum.
Anna Putkaradze, a Georgian lawyer specializing in high-profile cases involving foreigners told The Sun: “If the prosecution is calculating the fine based on the estimated street value of the drugs in Britain, rather than in Georgia.
“ I would estimate it at around £100,000.
“The law does not literally say ‘exactly half,’ but according to the Customs Code and the practice of the Revenue Service, when contraband goods are discovered, the fine is usually set at roughly 50%.
“Of course in this case there are many nuances in play — including the severity of the offense, which under the law carries about 15 years’ imprisonment, up to life.
“Even when mitigating circumstances exist – such as cooperation with investigators, pregnancy, no prior convictions, being a first-time offender, and no resulting harm -the very nature of the offense imposes a binding constraint on the state.
“It leaves little room for manoeuvre making it unlikely that the penalty would be merely symbolic (for example, reduced to a fifth of the amount).
“Since the defendant is a British citizen and the family’s economic income is in pounds sterling, it would be logical for the fine to be calculated based on their sterling income.
“The final destination of the drugs also plays a crucial part. Was it Georgia or Britain?
“This is an especially grave category of crime so setting the fine at approximately half the estimated value could be considered an adequate punishment.”
Judge Giorgi Gelashvili denied the British teenager’s plea for bail with a £13,752 surety yesterday but said she would be returned to court the moment a plea deal was agreed.
And the agreement could lead to her walking free immediately – provided her family stumps up a substantial sum to enable her to raise her child away from the grim Georgian jail.
Bella Culley seen in court at the beginning of July as her devastated family watched on[/caption]
Bella’s lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia told The Sun: “Negotiations are close to completion.
“The higher the fine will be, the less time she will serve including the possibility of a full release.
“Thats what we are negotiating at the moment. At this moment Bella’s family isn’t ready to pay the amount requested.
“It all depends on Bella’s parents. The prosecution is willing to let her go on the same day the demanded amount is paid.
“We are debating and negotiating on that aspect and its likely that this compromise will be reached before the 9th of October”
Bella’s mum Lyanne Kennedy, 44, sobbed “Bella, I will see you in the morning” as the alleged mule – wearing a dark t-shirt and showing her baby bump – left court yesterday (Tues).
She dutifully turned up for a visit early today with Bella’s grandfather William Culley.
And the pair appeared distressed while in animated conversation as they exited the fortified gates of No 5 Women’s Penitentiary in near Tbilisi.
Bella’s anguished family from Billingham, Teesside now face having to raise thousands to end her jail hell while sums involved secret.
Ms Kennedy – who lives in social housing – has split from Bella’s dad Niel (ckd), 49, who works abroad as an oil rig technician.
The tearful mum said outside court on Tuesday: “It’s a lot of money for us.
“They offered us a layered approach: ‘ This and this much’ to let her go immediately and then another offer where she serves some time.
“I don’t know what to do”.
Bella was found with £200,000 worth of drugs[/caption]
Judge giorgi Gelashvili assured the family at the hearing: “Of course we are worried about Miss Bella’s health and her child.
“Obviously the child should be developing in a free environment.
“Taking into consideration the ongoing success in negotiations and that the family need more time to consider the prosecutions offer, we can move the date of the next trial the very moment you reach an agreement.”
Bella claims she was burned with a hot iron and shown a beheading video by a Thai gang, which forced her to fly to Tbilisi..
But Georgian prosecutor Vakhtang Tsaluqelashvili had warned the state would contest her claims after CCTV was said to contradict them.
The words “two years” were overheard during animated talks between lawyers outside court today but details of the state’s offer remained unclear.
Bella got pregnant after a fling with an unidentified British man on the first leg of her Far East trip and revealed she was expecting a baby boy at an earlier hearing..
She also claimed she had no idea where Georgia was and that she tried to raise the alarm when she boarded a flight from Bangkok.
Bella was caught at Tbilisi International Airport with 30 pounds of marijuana and hashish in her luggage on May 10.
Mr Salakaia said at an earlier hearing: “There was no malicious intent on Bella’s part – she was pressured and forced and there is irrefutable evidence of that.
“Her testimony contains even the names and last names of the individuals who forced her to transport it, she was threatened, as well as her family, including her mother who is present today.
“I want to underline that she didn’t hand in the baggage – all she knows is that there is this luggage and she will be met by certain individuals once she arrives.
“The bag wasn’t even locked, and it went through three countries and two continents, while Bella to this day is unaware whether Tbilisi is a country or a city.
“Bella didn’t commit this crime and there are no grounds to doubt her testimony.”
Bella – who has been supported at hearings by her mum Lyanne and oil rig worker dad Niel Culley and her grandad William Culley – will return to court on a date in October.
A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months.
In April and May, two Brit women were arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling.
Bella was the first after she allegedly tried to smuggle a suitcase of weed into Georgia.
Meanwhile, former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee was also caught allegedly trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million into Sri Lanka.
Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl.
If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence.
As a young mum was detained in Germany for allegedly smuggling cannabis in her bags on a flight from Thailand – in yet another shocking case.
Glamorous Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth, Herts, was detained at Munich Airport on April 21 as she tried to collect her luggage.
It comes as a Brit couple claiming to be tourists from Thailand have been busted with more than 33kg of cannabis in their suitcases at a Spanish airport.
The pair were picked out by suspicious cops at Valencia Airport after displaying a “nervous and evasive attitude” and are now behind bars on drug trafficking charges.
Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world.
Then last month, a six-year-old British boy was arrested in Mauritius suspected of smuggling part of a £1.6million dope haul stuffed inside his wheelie case.
The lad was picked up by customs officials along with his mum and five other Brits as they arrived on the tropical island.
Authorities branded the use of a child in the audacious drug smuggling plot as “inhumane”.
A BRAZEN thief has left a bride sobbing after he snatched $100,000 in wedding gifts during the reception.
An unidentified wedding crasher was caught on camera stealing a large bo…
A BRITISH woman has allegedly tried to kidnap a distraught child at an airport, shouting “this is my child”.
Passenger Alvina Omisri Agba made off with the crying four-year-old boy in a Miami airport after offering to help his mother calm him down.
Alvina Omisri Agba, 23, took a four-year-old child and refused to return him to his mother[/caption]
The mother and son had been waiting at a security checkpoint in Miami International Airport[/caption]
Airport staff had to step in to stop the fight between the mother and Agba[/caption]
The mother and son had been waiting in line at a security checkpoint at 4am on Tuesday when he started crying.
Agba offered a helping hand to help settle him, before immediately walking away with the boy.
Concerned mum Nadine Joseph followed the 23-year-old woman, later finding her sitting on the floor with her son.
When Nadine tried to take him back, Agba said: “No, this is my child”.
Agba then enveloped the young boy with her arms and legs so he couldn’t run away.
When Nadine tried again to grab him, Agba allegedly pushed her away.
The chaotic scene quickly unfolded in the Miami International Airport when Nadine was able to grab her son’s arms while Agba grabbed his legs, leaving the women playing tug-of-war with the boy.
The four-year-old began screaming amidst the commotion, catching the attention of airport staff.
Global Crossing Airlines check-in counter staff member Natylet Montano sprang into action.
Local 10 News reported her grabbing the boy and holding him behind the counter so he would not be hurt.
Montano’s colleague told the outlet Agba then “went inside the counter and we called 911”.
Staff said the Luton woman crawled underneath the counter, demanding the child be returned to her.
Three men then stepped in to block her path.
Agba allegedly ran away from the scene, before deputies were able to later apprehend her.
The woman allegedly claimed she was taking the child to a wall painted with a rainbow, hoping it would calm him down.
Agba allegedly said she didn’t remember the ordeal after the boy’s mother arrived to get her son, saying she: “Only did it because God told her to do it”.
The police told Fox News she was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.
The boy sustained deep scratches to his neck, but was well enough to take the flight with his mother.
Despite deep scratches to his neck, child was still able to take the flight with his mother[/caption]
JAMIE Faith was shot seven times outside the family home he shared with his wife Jennifer and their daughter back in 2020.
After pleading for the killer to come forward on TV, a sick plot involving Jennifer and her secret boyfriend came to light.
Jamie Faith was shot to death outside his home[/caption]
Jennifer Faith pleaded guilty to a charge of murder-for-hire[/caption]
Darrin Lopez was found guilty of murdering Jamie Faith after a week-long trial in July 2023[/caption]
Jennifer Faith pleaded guilty to orchestrating the murder of her husband Jamie Faith in 2020.
She convinced her secret boyfriend Darrin Lopez to murder Jamie, who was shot seven times outside their family home.
Jamie was attacked while leaving for a morning walk with Jennifer and their dog.
A masked individual shot him three times in the head, three times in the chest and once in the groin before fleeing in a black truck with a “T” decal.
Jennifer claimed she was attacked and duct-taped by the assailant. Jamie was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the murder, Jennifer appeared on local Dallas TV begging the killer to come forward, saying: “I just hope that at some point, maybe, this person can recognise the gravity of what they’ve done and feel some sort of guilt enough to come forward.”
Jennifer and Jamie, an American Airlines manager, met on a blind date 15 years before the incident and went on to get married in 2012.
Jamie legally adopted Jennifer’s daughter from a previous marriage.
The couple moved to Dallas from Arizona in 2017.
Jennifer later reconnected with her high school sweetheart Darrin, an Army veteran, and the two started an affair.
The investigation revealed Lopez drove a black Nissan truck with a “T” decal — the same truck seen fleeing the crime scene.
When Lopez was arrested in January 2021, investigators found the murder weapon, credit cards in Jennifer’s name and a mask matching the description of the one worn by the shooter in his possession.
He was charged with Jamie’s murder and a federal gun crime charge. He pleaded not guilty.
I just hope that at some point, maybe, this person can recognise the gravity of what they’ve done and feel some sort of guilt enough to come forward
Jennifer Faith
Jennifer Faith maintained suspicious contact with Lopez after his arrest, sending money, gifts and credit cards paid for through a community GoFundMe fundraiser.
Lopez admitted to authorities that Jennifer asked him to help kill Jamie, saying he shot Jamie in the groin because of Faith’s fabricated abuse allegations against her husband.
Faith was charged with obstruction of justice in February 2021 after text messages between her and Lopez revealed she knew Lopez was a suspect but remained in contact with him instead of alerting the police.
Texts showed coordinated cover stories between Jennifer and Lopez, including her instructing him to claim he was an old friend going through a divorce.
In September 2021, prosecutors added a murder-for-hire charge, which carries the possibility of the death penalty.
Jennifer eventually pleaded guilty to this charge in February 2022.
In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to drop the obstruction charge and recommended a life sentence.
Jennifer Faith was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and $6,500 in restitution to Jamie’s family for funeral expenses.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Boshek summarised the case as one of “lies, deceit, and ultimately the murder of a loving spouse”.
He added: “After attempting to manipulate family, friends and caring citizens, Mrs. Faith has now admitted to her heinous acts.”
While Jennifer did not personally pull the trigger, she was deemed responsible as the mastermind behind the murder.
Darrin Lopez was found guilty of murdering Jamie Faith after a week-long trial in July 2023.
The horrific crime was captured on CCTV[/caption]
Jurors took less than an hour to convict him. Lopez was sentenced to 62 years in prison.
During the trial, Lopez expressed regret, stating he believed he was protecting Jennifer and that he had been manipulated by her fabricated claims of abuse.
The defence argued Lopez was manipulated due to a traumatic brain injury and PTSD from his military service.
But prosecutors emphasised he had other options to avoid killing Jamie.
Lopez maintains his innocence on appeal.
The murder of Jamie Faith was captured in haunting detail by security footage from his home, showing the moments just before and after he was shot seven times outside his Dallas residence in broad daylight.
The footage became crucial evidence as investigators pieced together the shocking truth behind the crime.
What initially appeared as a random attack was later revealed to be a murder-for-hire plot masterminded by Jamie’s wife Jennifer.
Surveillance images of the killer’s black truck, along with digital footprints from phones and financial records, helped authorities track down Jennifer’s boyfriend Darrin, who carried out the killing.
The secret footage, combined with a massive digital trail of texts and emails, including fabricated abuse allegations sent by Jennifer to Lopez, exposed the sinister conspiracy and cover-up efforts.
My Wife, My Killer and the Secret Footage airs on Channel 5 at 9pm on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
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MULTIPLE arrests have been made over the deaths of 70 migrants on a hellish boat trip – after reports of executions and people throwing themselves overboard.
A mass murder investigation was launched in the Canary Islands after coastguards rescued a stranded migrant boat with 250 onboard.
The migrants were crammed onto a wooden ‘cayuco’ canoe, like this one[/caption]
It arrived in the Canary Islands from West Africa with around 70 fewer people than when it set off (stock image)[/caption]
The 250 survivors were rescued by the Spanish coastguard and brought to the Canary Islands[/caption]
Spanish cops were combing migrant centres on the islands for a group who had allegedly turned against their fellow passengers as the boat drifted in the Atlantic.
Today, they revealed that “several people” had been arrested and will appear before the courts.
Some passengers are said to have been slaughtered in cold blood after being accused of witchcraft – while others died of dehydration or threw themselves overboard in a state of delirium.
Police were unable to confirm a final death toll.
They are now grilling the suspects in order to establish exactly what transpired on the horror-show boat trip.
The cursed episode began when a cayuco set off from Western Sahara for the Canary Islands.
There were apparently 320 people on the boat when it left Africa, but only 250 when it was rescued by Spanish coastguards.
It’s thought the boat’s engine broke down a short way into the journey, meaning the migrants were stranded under the hot sun with limited supplies.
Reports say some passengers were initially accused of theft or depleting the water supply.
But these became more extreme as the days dragged on – eventually building to cries of witchcraft.
While some of the passengers died of natural causes, up to 30 of the younger male passengers were reportedly suspected of plotting against and killing an unspecified number of their boatmates.
The boat was spotted adrift by a merchant ship on Sunday, August 24.
Morocco, which shares responsibility for the waters with Spain, said it didn’t have the resources to deal with the emergency.
Spanish coastguards rescued around 250 people on board the stricken boat west of the city of Dakhla, 265 miles from the Canaries, bringing it to the islands on August 25.
Survivors told rescuers on their arrival to the port of Arguineguín they had been at sea for around 11 days.
They confirmed to police that dozens had died from a lack of water but that some were deliberately executed.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that police were seeking 20 – 30 migrants over unnatural deaths on the boat.
If convicted, the men could face life imprisonment.
To reach the archipelago from Africa, boats must cross the “Western Route”, which is infamously dangerous for migrants.
OFFICIALS on the Canary Islands are demanding a state of emergency be declared to combat the growing migrant crisis.
Around 47,000 people arrived in Spain on small boats last year with government officials saying the number of unaccompanied minors has reached almost three times the official capacity.
This year alone, from January 1, to May 15, 10,882 people have reached the Canaries via maritime routes.
Many of these include young children with the government now admitting they are struggling to keep them all safe due to the volume of those arriving.
The popular holiday islands have a recognised capacity to house 1,737 migrant children.
But the number coming over from parts of West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean have skyrocketed recently with 5,017 minors now on the archipelago.
Concerned officials on the Canary Islands formally asked the Spanish government to declare a migration emergency after the figures were revealed.
Earlier this year, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that unaccompanied migrants must be distributed around the country in order to ease pressure on places like the Canary Islands.
The first ten children were transferred from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, to the mainland in August 2025.
TEENAGE drug mule suspect Bella Culley could soon buy her freedom thanks to a breakthrough plea bargain deal thrashed out by her lawyer.
The 19-year-old tripper was held with £200…