Perth grandmother found guilty of smuggling drugs into Japan

Perth grandmother Donna Nelson has been found guilty of drug smuggling in Japan.

The 58-year-old from Perth has today been sentenced to six years in prison after she was caught smuggling two kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside a suitcase in 2022.

Nelson has always maintained her innocence, saying she was the victim of an online romance scam.

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Donna Nelson testifies in Japanese courtroom

She said she received the suitcase from an acquaintance of a man she met on social media in 2020, and brought it from Laos to Tokyo as instructed.

She was supposed to meet the man in Japan but he never showed up, according to prosecutors.

She was arrested at the airport and charged with violating Japan's stimulants control and customs laws.

Since her arrest, the Indigenous community leader and former WA Greens candidate has been in custody for nearly two years.