Convicted felon handed over 3 years for Captagon sale

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to over three years in prison after convicting him of selling Captagon pills to an undercover agent in Maan in December.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (Captagon) with the intent of selling the drugs on January 3.

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 JD3,660 and the prison term to three years and four months “to give the defendant a second chance in life”.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learned that the defendant, who was a convicted felon, 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 two Captagon pills in return for JD4,” the court documents said.

When the two met, AND agents immediately arrested the suspect, the court papers added.

Upon searching the defendant, the court papers said, AND personnel “found the two Captagon pills". 

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 charged that the SSC disregarded his request to summon witnesses, arguing that “this worked against my 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 and that he intended to sell the quantity on the local market,” the higher court said.

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