TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — British teenager Bella Mae Culley, arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, was released from prison Monday as part of a plea deal.
Pregnant Kalli, 19, was arrested in May at Tbilisi airport and accused of trying to smuggle 12 kilograms (26.5 pounds) of marijuana and 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of hashish into the country.
On Monday, a Georgian court found her guilty and sentenced her to five months and 25 days in prison, the full amount of time she had already spent in custody. Her family also paid a fine of 500,000 lari (about $184,000) as part of a plea deal.
Callie and her mother Leanne Kennedy cried when the verdict was read.
Georgian prosecutors considered a two-year prison sentence but “decided to take into account the time she had already served,” Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili, the prosecutor in the case, told The Associated Press.
The teenager was informed of the decision shortly before the start of the trial. Her mother told the AP that she believed she would only see her daughter in person again when her grandson was born. “It was completely unexpected,” she said.
Kalli's lawyer Malkhaz Salahaya said that the girl will be given a passport and will be able to freely leave the country. While in court, she thanked everyone present for reaching Callie's plea deal.
Callie initially faced a maximum sentence of 15 years or life in prison.
In Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people in the South Caucasus, the law allows financial plea agreements that can be reached to reduce or eliminate prison sentences in certain cases. These plea agreements are often entered into in drug cases.
Callie, originally from Teesside, northeast England, was reported missing in Thailand before her arrest at Tbilisi Airport on May 10. After her arrest, the girl pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying that she was tortured in Thailand and forced to carry drugs with her.
Salahaya told reporters that upon arrival in Georgia she had visible physical signs of torture.
