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LEVI-APRIL WHALLEY, WHO RECENTLY AVOID JAIL TIME FOR ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLE CANNABIS INTO THE UK, BELIEVES BELLA CULLEY AND CHARLOTTE LEE ARE 'VICTIMS' ADDING THEY SHOULD 'TELL

THE TRUTH AND BE HONEST’ 23:04, 28 May 2025 A glammed-up British mum who was caught smuggling drugs from New York City with a friend has weighed in on the predicaments of alleged drug mules

Bella May Culley and Charlotte May Lee, currently in limbo awaiting trial overseas. Levi-April Whalley, 31 and Sophie Bannister, 30, from Blackburn, told Border Force officers they went on

a three-day shopping spree in New York City when they were pulled up at Birmingham International Airport in 2023. When their bags were searched, however, over 35kg of cannabis - with a

street value greater than £160,000 - was found. After the 70 heat-sealed parcels were discovered stashed in their luggage, Whalley claimed the packages were stuffed with watches. However,

text messages soon exposed the high-flying friends as key players in a grand scheme to bring drugs into the UK. Both women broke down in tears when they were handed 18-month suspended

sentences at Preston Crown Court last month, reports the Mirror. Levi has now spoken out about the recent surge of British women being accused of drug smuggling abroad, specifically on Bella

May Culley and Charlotte May Lee, who are grappling with the grim reality of international drug smuggling charges. Article continues below Bella, an 18-year-old nursing student from

Teesside, vanished in Thailand only to reappear in Georgia, arrested for allegedly trying to sneak 14kg of cannabis into the country. The teen, who dropped the bombshell that she's

pregnant in court, is being held at Tbilisi Prison Number 5, notorious for its grim conditions and overflowing sewage, facing life behind bars. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Charlotte May Lee, a

former TUI air hostess from Coulsdon, was arrested in Sri Lanka. The authorities caught her with two cases allegedly packed with synthetic cannabis valued at £1.2 million. She now faces a

possible 20 to 25-year stretch in jail. While there's no suggestion the two women are connected, they're both trapped in nightmarish scenarios. For Levi, their plight hits close to

home and is a stark warning of the fate she narrowly avoided when the judge let her off with no jail time. "I believe if I was caught abroad it would have been a complete different

outcome for myself," she told the Mirror. "I believe I would have been in the same situation as them. I feel relieved that I did get caught in the UK looking at them.” The new mum

suspects there's more than meets the eye with Bella and Charlotte's predicament, saying: "I highly feel they are victims. "From my own experience, they seem to have been

in similar situations to me - I was just following what my friend was doing and influenced negatively without thinking of consequences due to where I was in my life then. "I was not in

a good place and could say I was somewhat vulnerable at the time. These are two young girls, and I believe that's probably the same situation for them." Levi added that their

situation demonstrates not all people are as lucky as she was, and should highlight the very real dangers of travelling with someone else’s suitcase. "If I had a chance to speak to

Bella and Charlotte, I would tell them to just to tell the truth and be honest," she said. "I hope they are OK, and I understand exactly what they are going through. I can imagine

how worried they are and really hope the truth does come out." Article continues below Bella May Culley and Charlotte May Lee both deny allegations of drug trafficking offences. _FOR

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