Drug dealer gets three-year prison term

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to three years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Karak in September of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of attempting to sell illegal narcotics to an undercover agent on September 7 and handed him the maximum punishment.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay JD1,500 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics and wanted to sell it in the local market.

The department sent one of its agents to pose as a buyer, court papers said.

“The AND agent got in touch with the defendant and asked him for some hashish and capatagon pills in return for JD35,” court documents said.

When the two met, AND agents immediately arrested the suspect, court papers added.

Upon searching the defendant, court papers said, AND personnel found " four Captagon pills and some hashish on him". 

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

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.

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

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Fawzi Nahar, Mohammmad Khashashneh, Hayel Amr and Nayef Samarat.