Donna Nelson: Hundreds of messages shown to trial of Perth grandmother accused of smuggling meth into Japan

The trial of a Perth grandmother accused of smuggling drugs into Japan has been shown hundreds of messages between her and a man she says tricked her into smuggling 2kg of methamphetamine into the country.

The 58-year-old mother and grandmother is on trial in Chiba, near Tokyo, after she allegedly landed at Narita International Airport with ice in her luggage last year.

Ms Nelson claims she had no idea about the drugs and was in fact the victim of a criminal gang after being groomed in an online romance scam by a man named Kelly.

On the second day of her trial on Tuesday, Ms Nelson broke down as the court was taken step-by-step through the moment she was arrested with 2kg of methamphetamine in her suitcase.

The court heard evidence from the Japanese Customs agent who inspected Ms Nelson’s luggage.

An X-ray revealed a “green shadow” in the lining of the case, before further inspection uncovered about a dozen plastic wrapped sausage-shaped packages of white powder.

The court was told Ms Nelson began sobbing and shuddering while in customs — and told the agent from the start that she had no idea there were drugs hidden in the bag and that she is “not that type of person.”

Hundreds of WhatsApp messages between Ms Nelson and Kelly were also shown to the trial.

Some of the messages revealed Ms Nelson became confused and stressed by his messages while in Laos, telling Kelly at one point she was considering cancelling her trip to Japan calling her family and heading home to Perth instead.

Ms Nelson was fatefully talked out of that decision.

On Wednesday, the trial is set to hear from Ashlee Charles, one of Ms Nelson’s five daughters.