2 men handed 10-year prison term for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing two men to 10 years in prison each after convicting them of possessing illegal narcotics near the Jordanian-Syrian borders in July of last year.

The court declared the defendants guilty of possessing 13,900 Captagon pills and a small stash of illegal drugs hidden in their rented vehicle on July 2 with the intent of selling the drugs in the local market, and handed them a 15-year prison term each.

However, the SSC decided to reduce their sentences to 10 years in prison each to “give them a second chance in life”.

The court also ordered the defendants to pay JD10,000 each in fines.

Court documents said the defendants were driving on the international highway near the Jordanian-Syrian borders when they were pulled over by police for a routine check.

Upon searching the defendants’ vehicle, court papers said, police found "Captagon pills stashed in six bags and other illegal narcotics hidden under the dashboard of the vehicle". 

The defendants contested the SSC’s ruling through their lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to implicate their clients”.

Meanwhile, the SSC prosecution office asked the higher court to uphold the sentence and the fine imposed on the defendants.

The higher court maintained that the SSC had followed the proper procedures in issuing the sentences against the defendants.

“It was clear to the court that the defendants confessed willingly to possessing the illegal drugs,” the higher court said.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi and Qassem Dughmi.