November 18th 2024.
A grandmother from Australia, Donna Nelson, has recently made an appearance in a Japanese court after being accused of smuggling amphetamines in her suitcase. This happened almost two years after her initial arrest, and she has maintained her innocence throughout the entire ordeal. According to her, she was tricked into carrying the drugs as part of an online romance scam.
The 58-year-old was taken into custody at Japan's Narita International Airport, located just outside of Tokyo, when customs officials discovered around two kilograms of stimulants hidden in her double-bottom suitcase. Nelson claims that she received the suitcase from an acquaintance of a man she met on social media and was instructed to bring it from Laos to Tokyo.
Initially, Nelson was supposed to meet this man in Japan, but he never showed up. This raised suspicion, and she was promptly arrested and charged with violating stimulant control and customs laws. Nelson, who is a respected Indigenous community leader and former candidate for the WA Greens, has been in custody for nearly two years now. Her trial took place just a few weeks after an 88-year-old former boxer, Iwao Hakamada, was acquitted of his murder convictions after being on death row for 50 years. This case has brought attention to the closed-door investigation processes and lengthy trials in Japan.
During her trial, Nelson made a brief statement at the Chiba District Court near Tokyo, maintaining her innocence and claiming that she had no knowledge of the drugs hidden in her suitcase. She stated that she was carrying them for a man whom she thought she was in love with. The prosecution, however, argued that she was aware of the contents of the suitcase and was deliberately smuggling the drugs. Nelson entered the courtroom escorted by guards and was visibly emotional as she saw her daughters seated in the audience. It was the first time they had seen each other since her trip two years ago.
Nelson's daughters, who firmly believe in their mother's innocence, spoke to the media outside the court. They stated that their mother was a good person and had no other intentions besides going to Japan for her love story. They also expressed their strength and support for their mother during this difficult time.
In court, Nelson's lawyer, Rie Nishida, argued that her client was the victim of a romance scam and that her trust and love were taken advantage of. She also pointed out that the limited English-language ability of the customs officials may have led to mistranslations, resulting in the false accusation that Nelson knew about the drugs in her suitcase. The verdict for this trial is expected to be delivered in December.
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