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A BRITISH gang threatened to behead drug mule suspect Bella Culley and her family in a chilling warning to the pregnant 18-year-old.
Bella was shown a horrifying video of an execution by the evil traffickers which forced the teen to send her loved ones a two-word SOS text, her lawyer has claimed.
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Bella Culley seen in court on Tuesday as her devastated family watched on[/caption]
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The Brit told a court she was made to watch a beheading video by a Brit gang who recruited her to smuggle drugs[/caption]
East2West
Bella, seen in court earlier this year, has now been jailed for over six weeks[/caption]
The Brit told her legal team that she fell into the clutches of a British-led gang of drug runners while on holiday in Thailand.
She denies knowingly importing drugs worth £200,000 into the former Soviet state of Georgia as she continues to claim she was in fear of life when she flew from Bangkok in May.
Trainee nurse Bella – who got pregnant on her Far East trip – claimed the gang also threatened to harm her parents and 16-year-old brother after claiming they knew where they lived.
In a desperate two word plea she texted her family, “HELP ME”, after being “branded” on the arm with an iron as a warning.
Bella from Billingham, County Durham, says a bag containing cannabis was checked in under her name by a gang member.
Her frantic family launched a missing person hunt in Thailand after she vanished on holiday but she turned up under arrest 4,000 miles away.
Her Georgian lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia claimed the gang terrorised the teenager into becoming a mule.
She felt queasy and almost fainted but they still forced her to watch it
Malkhaz SalakaiaBella’s lawyer
He told The Sun: “They told her: ‘We know the addresses of your parents, we know where your 16 year old brother is.’
“They made her watch a video of a man being decapitated and told her: ‘If you don’t do as you are told, this is what is going to happen to you and your family.’
“She felt queasy and almost fainted but they still forced her to watch it.”
Bella – who wept in court on Monday as she appeared with her baby bump visible for the first time – has stressed the British father of her child was not a gang member.
And she went on to describe the horror of her “branding” to Mr Salakaia.
He told The Sun: “On the inside of her right arm there is a mark from this coercion.
“She was, so to say, branded – a hot iron was pressed on her arm.
“She was forced to do this – there was both psychological and physical pressure, the trace of which is still visible.
“As to her connection with this group, she knew several of them – they are British.
“At first she knew one, and then through him met the others. However, we have grounds to assume that this group also had local accomplices, including in Thailand.”
Mr Salakaia said by the time Bella managed to send a desperate text to her family, it was too late for them to stop her disastrous journey to Georgia.
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Bella Culley went on holiday to Thailand and wound up in handcuffs in Eastern Europe[/caption]
East2West
Cannabis was found wrapped in air-tight bags in Bella’s luggage, police said[/caption]
Mr Salakaia said: “Bella sent an SMS to her family asking for help, saying: HELP ME, but by the time the family reacted it was too late
“The instruction, or rather threat, she was given consisted of the following: ‘You will take this luggage and carry it from point A to point B, to this or that country, or we will kill you.
“There is no talk of any potential reward or deal — Bella was simply forced to do this.
“The speculation that one of them is the father of Bella’s child does not correspond to the truth – I categorically deny this. There is no connection.
“I cannot say whether the father of the child knows about Bella’s situation.”
Mr Salakaia told how Bella tried in vain to raise the alarm – but discovered to her horror that Thai cops she tried to tip off were linked to the gang.
He said: “There was a very alarming episode while she was still in Bangkok. Bella seized a moment to go to some policemen – there were three of them, standing on the street.
“She told them: ‘I have a problem, this is happening, there is pressure on me, help me.’
“They spoke with her for 20 minutes and then returned her exactly to the same people she had run away from.
“This allows the simplest conclusion – that this group had things arranged with the local police.”
She was forced to do this – there was both psychological and physical pressure, the trace of which is still visible
Malkhaz SalakaiaBella’s lawyer
Mr Salakaia said Bella did not see the suitcase containing 31lb of cannabis in vacuum-sealed bags until a customs officer in Georgian capital Tbilisi showed it to her.
The teenager had no idea where Tbilisi was and no idea why she was there, he said.
Bella, in a pink t-shirt with her hair in a bun, burst into tears at a court appearance on Monday where she was supported by her father Niel (ckd), 39, aunt Kerrie and grandad William Culley.
Mr Salakaia said Bella – who was refused bail on Monday – will deny drug trafficking charges which carry a minimum sentence of 15 years in jail.
Bella – who says she is happy with conditions at tough No5 Women’s Penitentiary on the outskirts of Tbilisi – is next due in court on July 10.
East2West
Bella in court last month[/caption]
NCJ Media
Bella has said she never touched the drugs found in her suitcase[/caption]
BRITISH drug mule suspect Bella Culley was shown a horrifying video of a beheading by evil drug traffickers – and warned she faced the same fate, her lawyer claimed yesterday.
Bella Culley went on holiday to Thailand and wound up in handcuffs in Eastern EuropeFacebookSupplied
Bella was seen in court this week as her devastated family watched on[/caption]
East2West
Cannabis was found wrapped in air-tight bags in Bella’s luggage, police said[/caption]
And she will deny knowingly importing drugs worth £200,000 into the former Soviet state of Georgia claiming she was in fear of life when she was put on the flight from Bangkok in May.
Trainee nurse Bella – who got pregnant on her Far East trip – claimed the gang also threatened to harm her parents and 16-year-old brother claiming they knew where they lived.
And she texted a desperate two word plea “HELP ME” to her family after being “branded” on the arm with an iron as a warning.
Bella from Billingham, County Durham, claimed she never saw a bag containing £200,000-worth of cannabis which was checked in under her name by a gang member.
Her Georgian lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia claimed the gang terrorised the teenager into becoming a mule.
He told The Sun: “They told her: ‘We know the addresses of your parents, we know where your 16-year-old brother is.’
“They made her watch a video of a man being decapitated and told her: ‘If you don’t do as you are told, this is what is going to happen to you and your family.’
“She felt queasy and almost fainted but they still forced her to watch it”
Bella – who wept in court on Monday as she appeared with her baby bump visible for the first time – has stressed the British father of her child was not a gang member
And she went on to describe the horror of her “branding” to Mr Salakaia.
He told The Sun: “On the inside of her right arm there is a mark from this coercion.
“She was, so to say, branded – a hot iron was pressed on her arm.
“She was forced to do this – there was both psychological and physical pressure, the trace of which is still visible.
“As to her connection with this group, she knew several of them – they are British.
“At first she knew one, and then through him met the others. However, we have grounds to assume that this group also had local accomplices, including in Thailand.”
Mr Salakaia said by the time Bella managed to send a desperate text to her family, it was too late for them to stop her disastrous journey to Georgia.
Mr Salakaia said: “Bella sent an SMS to her family asking for help, saying: HELP ME, but by the time the family reacted it was too late.
East2West
Bella has now been locked up for six weeks in Georgia[/caption]
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Bella has said she never touched the drugs found in her suitcase[/caption]
NCJ Media
“The instruction, or rather threat, she was given consisted of the following: ‘You will take this luggage and carry it from point A to point B, to this or that country, or we will kill you.
“There is no talk of any potential reward or deal — Bella was simply forced to do this.
“The speculation that one of them is the father of Bella’s child does not correspond to the truth – I categorically deny this. There is no connection.
“I cannot say whether the father of the child knows about Bella’s situation.”
Mr Salakaia told how Bella tried in vain to raise the alarm – but discovered to her horror that Thai cops she tried to tip off were linked to the gang.
He said: “There was a very alarming episode while she was still in Bangkok. Bella seized a moment to go to some policemen – there were three of them, standing on the street.
“She told them: ‘I have a problem, this is happening, there is pressure on me, help me.’
“They spoke with her for 20 minutes and then returned her exactly to the same people she had run away from.
“This allows the simplest conclusion – that this group had things arranged with the local police.”
Mr Salakaia said Bella did not see the suitcase containing 31lb of cannabis in vacuum-sealed bags until a customs officer in Georgian capital Tbilisi showed it to her.
The teenager had no idea where Tbilisi was and no idea why she was there, he said.
Mr Salakaia told The Sun: “They marked this luggage, approached Bella and asked her: ‘Is this your luggage?’
“She said: ‘This was sent, it is not mine, I do not know what this is, but I was told I would be met, but who, I don’t know.’
“When she was leaving they told her that the person who should meet her would have her photo and her mission would be complete.
“It would have been better for Bella to come out and then be detained – after all, she was already under surveillance anyway.
“They would have seen who was to meet her. In this case the operation stopped with Bella – the full stop was put prematurely.
“The luggage was not checked in by her – her luggage was checked in by someone else. The luggage was simply registered to her.”
Bella, in a pink t-shirt with her hair in a bun, burst into tears at a court appearance on Monday where she was supported by her father Niel, 39, aunt Kerrie and grandad William Culley.
Mr Salakaia said Bella – who was refused bail on Monday – will deny drug trafficking charges which carry a minimum sentence of 15 years in jail.
The high profile lawyer – a former investigator who worked on the assassination attempts on former Georgian President Shevardnadze – said he would push for a fine and deportation.
Bella – who says she is happy with conditions at tough No5 Women’s Penitentiary on the outskirts of Tbilisi – is next due in court on July 10.
Inside the dark world of Brit ‘drug mules’
A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months.
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.
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.
Bella Culley seen in court this week as her devastated family watched on[/caption]
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The Brit told a court she was tortured into trafficking £200,000-worth of cannabis by evil crimelords[/caption]
East2West
Bella has now been locked up for six weeks in Georgia[/caption]
The teenager showed off a vivid snake-like scar to the court in the capital of Tbilisi as she insisted she never touched the drugs she is accused of trafficking.
She was seen breaking down in tears alongside members of her family as a Georgian judge rejected her plea.
After six weeks banged up in a hellhole jail following her arrest, Bella told the hearing: “I didn’t want to do this – I was forced under torture.
“I just wanted to travel, I just want to live with my family – I am a loving person, I am studying at the university to become a nurse.
“All I wanted to do was travel but bad things happened.”
The tearful teen, looking downcast in a pink shirt with her hair in a bun, added: “I don’t do drugs, as you can see in my blood tests, I am clean. I always wanted to make my family proud.”
Bella from Billingham, County Durham, claimed baggage containing the cannabis was carried to the airport for her and put in the plane’s hold when she boarded a flight from Bangkok in May.
Her baby bump had visibly grown in the latest court appearance as she was supported by her 39-year-old oil rig worker father Niel.
Bella told her family she was flying to meet a boyfriend in the Far East on a backpacking holiday, the court heard.
It has also come out that the father of her child is from the UK.
Her aunt Kerri Culley was in court and sobbed as evidence was presented.
Bella’s lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia said corrupt Thai cops had been in on the plot and stopped the Brit from trying to raise the alarm before she flew to Georgia.
Mr Salakaia said she went to a police officer to show him the burns to her arm – but he took her to another officer who turned out to be a member of the drugs gang.
He argued that she should not stay in the tough No5 Women’s Penitentiary and requested bail.
Mr Salakaia said: “You’ll see her actual involvement with these charges in her own testimony that is coming shortly – she is innocent.
“Her emotional state exactly confirms that she was forced, I want to ask her to show the court her arm and you can see the burning scar.
East2West
Cannabis was found wrapped in air-tight bags in Bella’s luggage, police said[/caption]
East2West
Bella in court last month[/caption]
“This scar occurred before she was “equipped” with her baggage, that she never even touched.”
The lawyer said Bella never saw the drug bag – which flew to Georgia via Sharjah in Abu Dhabi – until she was arrested for importing it.
He said: “From Thailand to Sharjah, from Sharjah to Thailand, this baggage was carried by a different person. She was only given a passport and told you go there and there.
“She tried to inform the passport control but was paid no attention. She even has no idea geographically where she is – she thought Tbilisi was a country.
“She was given a photo and was told to keep it and that she would be approached by certain people. This meeting didn’t happen because she was detained.
“Said has never taken drugs and tests carried out by police once she arrived in Georgia proved she was telling the truth.”
Bella’s family said they were willing to submit a bail surety of at least £13,400 to guarantee her return to court to face trial after her lawyer said she had travelled to Thailand with just £70 cash.
But Judge Lela Kalichenko rejected her plea for bail insisting the teeanger was a potential flight risk and was receiving all necessary medical care where in prison.
Inside the dark world of Brit ‘drug mules’
A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months.
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.
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.
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EL CHAPO’S ruthless cartel used a hacker to break into Mexico City’s CCTV system and track down FBI informants — before having them killed.
A shocking new US Justice Department report reveals the Sinaloa Cartel, once run by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, hired a tech expert to spy on American agents and expose their sources.
AFP or licensors
El Chapo’s (pictured) ruthless Sinaloa cartel used a hacker to break into Mexico City’s CCTV system to spy on FBI informants[/caption]
Reuters
The hacker was used to track down agents and expose their sources before they were killed[/caption]
AP
The FBI says it’s drafting a plan to plug security gaps, including more training for agents[/caption]
The hacker hacked into Mexico City’s camera network and phone records in 2018, tailing an FBI assistant legal attaché (ALAT) at the US embassy.
Armed with this intel, the cartel was able to “intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses,” the report said.
The Justice Department added: “According to the FBI, in addition to compromising the ALAT’s phone, the hacker also accessed Mexico City’s camera system, used the cameras to follow the ALAT through the city, and identified people the ALAT met with.”
The findings shine a harsh light on how cartels are now using cutting-edge tech to stay a step ahead of law enforcement.
The audit warned that new technology has “made it easier than ever for less-sophisticated nations and criminal enterprises to identify and exploit vulnerabilities” in government data.
It comes as Mexico’s cops desperately try to catch up.
In Chiapas this week, police unveiled armed drones to take on cartels fighting for smuggling routes along the Guatemalan border.
Just weeks ago, the same force sparked a diplomatic storm by chasing gunmen into Guatemala and engaging in a wild street shootout.
The Sinaloa Cartel — once commanded by El Chapo, who’s now locked up in the US — remains locked in a bloody battle with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Meanwhile, a new breed of younger, tech-savvy narcos is ramping up tactics like cryptocurrency laundering and state-of-the-art surveillance.
“The cartels run a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise and utilize sophisticated technology to enhance their business operations,” said Derek Maltz, former acting DEA chief.
“They utilize state-of-art sophisticated surveillance techniques to identify law enforcement activities and their adversaries.”
The FBI says it’s drafting a plan to plug these glaring security gaps, including more training for agents.
But the Justice Department report warned the threat is so severe that some in the FBI and CIA call it “existential”.
Mexico’s long-running drug war rages on with no end in sight.
More than 400,000 people have been killed since the government first declared war on the cartels in 2006, and tens of thousands more have vanished without a trace.
Despite high-profile arrests and military crackdowns, groups like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation continue to expand their reach, both at home and across borders.
In the US, the stakes are equally dire.
Authorities have repeatedly blamed Mexican cartels for driving the fentanyl crisis, which has fuelled a record surge in overdose deaths.
Washington has labelled these syndicates “foreign terrorist organisations” in everything but official designation, ramping up efforts to cripple their finances and supply chains.
Mexico’s most dangerous cartels
Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) – The most violent and rapidly expanding cartel, known for extreme brutality, including cannibalism, drone warfare, and high-profile assassinations. Led by Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.
Sinaloa Cartel – Once led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, this powerful cartel is known for sophisticated drug trafficking networks and ruthless tactics, including face peeling and mass executions.
Los Zetas – Originally formed by ex-special forces soldiers, Los Zetas are infamous for military-style operations, public massacres, and the “Highway of Death” killings.
Gulf Cartel – One of Mexico’s oldest cartels, involved in human trafficking, kidnappings, and violent turf wars, often clashing with Los Zetas.
Beltrán Leyva Cartel – Known for alliances with other criminal groups and deadly feuds, this cartel specialises in assassinations and corruption at the highest levels.
Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel – A rising force primarily involved in fuel theft and extortion, responsible for deadly attacks against rivals and law enforcement.
Hugo Carvajal faces narco-terrorism and weapon charges amid accusations he helped lead a drug-trafficking groupA former top Venezuelan military intelligence chief has pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to narco-terrorism conspiracy, drug-traff…