Official announcements from the Japanese government or legal authorities

Australian Grandmother Sentenced to Six Years for Methamphetamine Smuggling in Japan

Dec 4, 2024, 09:19 AM

Donna Nelson, a 58-year-old Australian grandmother from Perth and a prominent Indigenous leader, has been convicted by a panel of three judges and six jurors in the Chiba District Court, near Tokyo, for attempting to smuggle 2 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan. Despite her claims of being a victim of an elaborate romance scam, the court sentenced her to six years in prison. Nelson, who was also a former Greens candidate, was arrested nearly two years ago when customs officials discovered the drugs hidden in a suitcase she was carrying, which she claimed she was tricked into transporting by a man she thought she was going to marry.