Japanese court convicts Australian who says she was tricked into smuggling drugs

CHIBA, Japan (AP) — A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced an Australian woman to six years in prison for smuggling amphetamines into the country, despite accepting her testimony that she was tricked as part of an online romance scam.

The Chiba District Court said it found Donna Nelson, 58, from Perth, Australia, guilty of violating the stimulants control and customs laws. It ordered her to pay a fine of 1 million yen ($6,671) in addition to serving a prison term.

Nelson was arrested at Japan’s Narita International Airport, near Tokyo, on Jan. 3, 2023, after customs officials found about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of phenylaminopropane, a stimulant, hidden under a false bottom in a suitcase she was carrying as checked luggage.

Nelson told the court that she did not know that drugs were hidden in the suitcase and that she was carrying them for a man she hoped to marry.

The man, whom she met online in 2020, told her he was the Nigerian owner of a fashion business. In 2023, he paid to travel to Japan via Laos, and asked her to collect dress samples from an acquaintance in Laos, the court said in the ruling. She was supposed to meet him in Japan but he never showed up, according to prosecutors.

Nelson has already been in custody for nearly two years. The court said 430 days of that will be counted toward her sentence.

Presiding Judge Masakazu Kamakura said that although Nelson was deceived, she had a sense that something was wrong with the arrangement and that something illegal could be hidden in the suitcase, and she could have stopped.

Kamakura said Nelson was taken advantage of her desire to marry the man and that there is room for “sympathy” for what she did.

He imposed a shorter sentence than would be typical for the amount of drugs she was carrying, after prosecutors had demanded 10 years in prison and a fine of 3 million yen (about $20,000).

Nelson’s lawyer Rie Nishida said the ruling was unjust and that she planned to appeal. “We will fight until the end,” she said.

On Wednesday, Nelson sobbed as the verdict was read out. One of her daughters, Kristal Hilaire, wiped away tears as she looked on from her seat in the audience.

“We are disappointed and devastated by the court’s verdict in our mum’s case," Hilaire told reporters outside the court. “We maintain that our mum was the victim of a romance scam. She is the victim of a crime and not a criminal. She has always been against drugs.”

Hilaire said the past few weeks had been a difficult time for the family but that they have come together to support each other and Nelson during the trial, and that they will keep fighting “until we can bring her home.”

But Hillaire said she is worried about her mother, devastated and much thinner. “I worry about how she would handle another six years.”

Several other family members who attended earlier sessions, seeing Nelson for the first time since her arrest nearly two years ago, returned home ahead of the verdict.

Associated Press video journalists Mayuko Ono in Chiba and Ayaka McGill in Tokyo contributed.

Kristal Hilaire, a daughter of Australian citizen Donna Nelson, speaks to reporters at the Chiba District Court before the verdict for Nelson in a drug smuggling case, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Chiba, east of Tokyo. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi)

Kristal Hilaire, a daughter of Australian citizen Donna Nelson, speaks to reporters at the Chiba District Court after the verdict for Nelson in a drug smuggling case, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Chiba, east of Tokyo. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi)

Kristal Hilaire, a daughter of Australian citizen Donna Nelson, speaks to reporters at the Chiba District Court after the verdict for Nelson in a drug smuggling case, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Chiba, east of Tokyo. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi)

The Chiba District Court is seen where the opening day of the trial over Australian citizen Donna Nelson for allegedly attempting to import drugs into Japan is taking place Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Chiba, near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Family members of Australian citizen Donna Nelson walk out from the Chiba District Court after the opening day of the trial over Nelson for allegedly attempting to import drugs into Japan Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Chiba, east of Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has no explanation for his team’s struggles with slow starts.

At the same time, he’s also not questioning Colorado’s ability to respond when trailing, even as the Avs pushed Bednar’s patience and palpitations to their limits in pulling out their latest victory.

Behind Artturi Lehkonen’s goal with 4:22 remaining and newcomer Scott Wedgewood coming in cold to stop all 22 shots he faced in a backup role, the Avalanche overcame a 4-0 first-period deficit to rally for a 5-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. In doing so, Colorado became the first team NHL this season to overcome a four-or-more goal deficit, while marking the 90th time that’s happened in league history.

“It’s still recovering from that one,” Bednar said, of how his heart felt. “Strange game.”

It shouldn’t be for Bednar and the Avalanche (13-12), who have become accustomed to winning when falling behind not just this season, but last year, too.

Colorado finished tied for second in the NHL last season in winning 26 games when trailing at any point of a game. And that included the Avalanche being the last team to overcome a four-goal deficit in a 5-4 OT win over Pittsburgh on March 24.

This season, eight of Colorado’s wins have come after trailing. And this was the Avalanche’s league-leading seventh victory out of the 17 times they've trailed after one period.

Adding to the degree of difficulty on Tuesday, was Buffalo building a 4-0 lead on eight shots through 11:49 of the first period to chase starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev.

Nathan MacKinnon, who scored twice and assisted on Lehkonen’s goal, credited Bednar for keeping his cool.

“Bedsy didn’t rip us too bad. He was pretty calm,” MacKinnon said of Bednar’s message during the first intermission. “I find sometimes when the coach comes in and he’s negative upon how negative we feel, it’s just tough to come back.”

MacKinnon started the rally by intercepting Connor Clifton’s clearing attempt through the middle and roofing a 23-footer 2:24 into the second period. The Avalanche then struck for four goals in the third, with MacKinnon tying the game 7:39 in by tipping in Mikko Rantanen’s shot from the left point.

Lehkonen scored when he was parked in front and swept in a loose puck after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped Calvin de Haan's shot from the left point.

“When we’re down, it feels like we’re pressing hard, and when we’re in attack mode, it’s tough to contain us, I guess,” MacKinnon said.

He also drew a laugh when asked the secret of the Avalanche’s ability to erase early deficits.

“I don’t know. We never score first, I guess,” MacKinnon said.

And credit Wedgewood, a seven-year journeyman, who is now with his fifth NHL team after being acquired in a trade from Nashville last weekend. Due to traveling back home to Nashville to see his family and pack, he didn’t enjoy his first skate with his new team until Tuesday morning as Colorado opened a five-game trip.

“I’ve gone in at times and the first shot on me has gone in. It’s nothing of lack of trying, and that’s the toughest part of that is you’re kind of cold,” said Wedgewood, whose second save was getting his pad out to stop Beck Malenstyn’s tip-in chance at the right post. “So get in there, try to stop the bleeding, and it ended up being a good night for me to do it.”

The Avalanche’s joy was countered by the Sabres' frustration.

“It (stinks), honestly. Each and every guy needs to be better,” forward Alex Tuch said. “We thought it was going to be easy, that they were just going to go into a hole. It’s former Stanley Cup champs over there. ... You can’t give them opportunities like that.”

In dropping to 11-12-2, the Sabres are enduring yet another up-and-down season in an attempt to snap an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought. They dropped to 0-3-1 in their past four, which followed a promising stretch in which they won seven of nine.

Sloppy passes, lack of defensive net-front presence and having star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin miss the third period with back spasms all contributed to the loss, coach Lindy Ruff said.

“It's hard, painful,” Ruff said. “It’s my job not to let it snowball. We’ll address it. We’ll deal with it. We’ll go over it. It’s hard, painful.”

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Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, left, celebrates with right wing Mikko Rantanen after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen (62) celebrates after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Colorado Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood, bottom, reaches for a loose puck with defenseman Calvin de Haan, left, and right wing Nikolai Kovalenko, back, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen (62) celebrates after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)