Cassation Court upholds 7 years sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a drug dealer to seven years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Ramtha in December 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs in the local market on December 8.

The SSC handed the defendant a punishment of seven years in prison and ordered him to pay JD7,000 in fines. 

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt the defendant was in possession of a large quantity of illegal narcotics and placed him under surveillance.

“The AND agents arrested the defendant in downtown Ramtha and found four bags filled with 7,700 Captagon pills on him,” court documents said.

The law-enforcement agency officers also found a variety of illegal drugs in his possession, according to the court papers. 

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that “my client never confessed to owning the drugs for distribution in the market”.

The defence also charged that the court handed the defendant a high sentence “and my client deserves clemency by the court because he is young and does not have a criminal record”. 

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

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

Therefore, the higher court maintained that the defendant deserved the punishment he received. 

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