Overview

• Donna Nelson’s appeal was dismissed on Thursday, leaving her conviction and six-year prison term intact.
• Customs officers found about two kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a suitcase lining when she arrived at Narita Airport in January 2023.
• The court said she must have had doubts about transporting the bag, noting the strangeness of the request and her prior concerns about carrying others’ luggage.
• Nelson maintains she was duped by a long-running online romance with a man known as “Kelly,” with her legal team submitting expert evidence on sophisticated love scams from Professor Monica Whitty.
• The family says it will seek her transfer to Australia under a prisoner transfer system.