Man sentenced to two years in prison for narcotics possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a November 2022 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to two years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in May 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (Captagon) for his personal use on May 1.

The SSC handed the defendant two years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD2,000 in fines.

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

“The AND agents arrested the defendant while walking in the street,” court documents said.

Upon searching the defendant, court papers said, AND personnel found six Captagon pills on him". 

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

The lawyer argued that “his client was young and newly employed and that he would lose his job as a result”.

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 sentence 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 Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh, Qassem Dughmi and Hammad Ghzawi.