After an Ontario real estate agent returning from a trip to India was caught with nearly 14 kilos of opium at Toronto’s Pearson airport, he said he was duped by a family friend who had asked him to bring Indian sweets back to Canada.

Throughout his trial, Nitish Verma insisted he had no idea four boxes wrapped in packing tape that he put in his luggage contained anything other than confections, but a jury didn’t buy it. Now, judges at Ontario’s appeal court have rejected his plea for another chance to make his case.