Cassation Court upholds over 2 years' sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April 2022 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to two years in prison after convicting him of selling illegal narcotics to a law-enforcement agency officer in Amman in April 2021.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (hashish) with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent on April 8.

The SSC handed the defendant three years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD3,000 in fines.

However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD2,000 and the prison term to two in prison to give the defendant a second chance in life.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learned the defendant possessed 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 illegal drugs in return for JD5,” court documents said.

The defendant handed the officers the Hashish and left, court papers added.

The law enforcement agency placed the defendant under surveillance for around three months and arrested him on September 13.

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 also argued that the court relied on contradictory statements by the prosecution witnesses.

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 were Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Fawzi Nahar, Ibrahim Abu Shamma and Hayel Amr.