Closing arguments are underway at the trial of a Quebec man charged in connection with the kidnapping of a couple from Upstate New York who were smuggled into the province and held captive.

Gary Arnold has told the jury that he was threatened by a man known simply as “Big” to do various jobs in September 2020, but he says he never met the kidnapping victims and knew nothing of the plot.

Arnold’s lawyer, John T. Pepper, insisted today his client feared for the safety of his family and followed orders due to threats, suggesting to jurors the Crown did not prove his client knew anything about the abduction.

Arnold faces seven charges, including kidnapping, unlawful confinement, extortion and conspiracy, stemming from the abduction of James and Sandra Helm on Sept. 27, 2020.

The trial heard the couple were kidnapped and brought into Quebec by boat before being taken to a cottage in Magog, Que., about 125 kilometres southeast of Montreal.

The Crown has said the couple, who were freed two days later, were kidnapped as leverage in a bid to recover 50 kilograms of cocaine or $3.5 million cash from their grandson.