Man jailed for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a March State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to 18 months in prison for possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in November 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing a handful of hashish stashes and other illegal narcotics, with the intent of consuming them, and handed him the maximum punishment.

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

Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents were informed that the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics on November 1 in Rujm Sham area, according to court transcripts.

“A task-force arrested the defendant while he was in the street and found the illegal narcotics on him,” court documents said. 

The defendant, through his lawyer, contested the SSC’s ruling, stating that the court “failed to depend on solid evidence” when convicting him.

Meanwhile, the SSC prosecution office asked the court to uphold the sentence.

The higher court maintained that the SSC had followed the right procedures in the issuance of the sentences against the defendant.

“The defendant confessed willingly to possessing the illegal narcotics for his personal use,” the higher court ruled.

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