PHOTO CREDIT: Daily News Hub
The conviction of 59-year-old Australian grandmother Donna Nelson for narcotics smuggling in Japan has been connected to a Nigerian man known only as Kelly.
In December 2024, a Japanese court sentenced Nelson, a resident of Perth, Western Australia, to six years in prison, according to the Daily Mail.
When customs officials discovered two kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in her suitcase at Narita International Airport, which is close to Tokyo, she was taken into custody.
According to investigations, Nelson allegedly introduced himself as a Nigerian fashion entrepreneur when he contacted Kelly online in 2020 and made a marriage vow.
According to reports, Kelly paid for her journey to Japan through Laos in 2023 and gave her instructions to pick up dress samples from one of his Southeast Asian associates.
But when she arrived in Japan, he did not appear, and the drugs were found in a modified bag, which led to her imprisonment.
Nelson insisted on her innocence, saying she didn't know about the drugs and thought she was supporting her fiancé's company. She was a victim of a romance fraud, according to her attorneys.
Ashlee Charles, Nelson's daughter, stated that the family had chosen not to file a second appeal with the Supreme Court after she lost her appeal at the Tokyo High Court in September 2025.
Charles told the Australian Associated Press, "She's putting an end to her battle against her conviction and will apply to serve her sentence in Australia under the international prisoner transfer process."
Kelly's location is still unknown, and Japanese police have not stated if they are making any attempts to find him.
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