Cassation Court upholds 6-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September 2023 State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a drug dealer to six years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in April 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing illegal narcotics to sell in the local market and for personal consumption on April 17.

The SSC handed the defendant a punishment of six years in prison and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.

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

“The AND agents arrested the defendant while in a deserted building in Nuzha neighbourhood,” court documents said.

Upon searching the suspect, the law-enforcement agency found small quantities of Chrystal meth, Captagon pills and Hashish, according to the court papers. 

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

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

“My client possessed a small quantity of illicit drugs that was for personal use and he had no intention to sell any illicit drugs in the local market,” the lawyers argued.

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 to sell it in the local market,” the higher court said.

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

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