Cassation Court upholds over 10-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to ten years in prison after convicting him of possessing Crystal meth in Amman in October 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (Crystal meth) with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent in Sahab on Oct. 23.

The SSC handed the defendant 15 years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD15,000 in fines.

However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD10,000 and the prison term to 10 years 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 small stash of Crystal meth in return for JD10,” court documents said.

The exchange was completed on the date that the two agreed on, court papers added.

The defendant was placed under surveillance and was arrested while at a farm in February 2023, according to court transcripts.

Upon searching the premises, the law-enforcement officers found a variety of illegal narcotics including Hashish and Captagon pills, the court added.

Crystal meth is the common name for crystal methamphetamine, a strong and highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system, according to WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/crystal-meth-what-you-should_know#1).

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who claimed that his client “was subjected to duress when interrogated”.

The lawyer also 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 also concluded that the defendant confessed willingly to the charges.

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