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AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a February 2024 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to four years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in October 2023.
The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent on October 25.
The SSC handed the defendant five years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.
However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD4,000 and the prison term to four years in prison to give the defendant a second chance in life.
Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics and sent one of its agents to pose as a buyer.
“The AND agent got in touch with the defendant and asked him for a Crystal meth,” court documents said.
When the two met, AND agents immediately arrested the suspect, court papers added.
The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to implicate his client”.
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, Nyef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh, Hammad Ghzawi, and Qassem Dughmi.