British Teenager Held in Georgia After Arrest on Drugs Charges

The 18-year-old great-granddaughter of a late Labour MP is being held in prison in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences.

- Josh Halliday

Bella Culley was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles away in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, on Saturday.

Georgian authorities said Culley, from Billingham on Teesside, faces up to 20 years in prison or a life sentence if she is found guilty of the charges.

She appeared in court in Tbilisi on Tuesday accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics including marijuana.

Culley is the great-granddaughter of Frank Cook, a Labour MP who represented Stockton North for 27 years, rising to become a deputy speaker of the Commons. Cook died in January 2012, aged 76, after suffering from lung cancer.

The Foreign Office confirmed that it was "supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia".

Cleveland police, on Teesside, confirmed an 18-year-old woman from Billingham had been arrested in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences and remained in custody.