Cassation Court upholds over 3-year sentence for drug dealer

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

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (Crystal meth) in Sahab area on June 21.

The court also convicted the defendant of resisting arrest charges.

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 JD3,400 and the prison term to three years and four months 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 placed him under surveillance.

On the day of his arrest, the court maintained, the defendant “drew a paper cutter and waved it at arresting officers but was immediately contained by AND agents,” court documents said.

Upon searching his home, AND agents found 45 grammes of Crystal meth.

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 with the intent of selling it in the local market,” the higher court said.

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