Drug dealer jailed for 18 months

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has handed a drug dealer a reduced sentence of 18 months in prison after convicting him of selling illegal narcotics to an undercover agent in Amman in August of last year.

In February, the State Security Court (SSC) handed the defendant a three-year prison term for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD1,500 in fines.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing 500 Captagon pills on February 10 in the Nazzal neighbourhood of the capital with the intent of selling the drugs in the local market.

However, the Cassation Court decided to reduce the sentence to half while maintaining the fine amount “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 to secure some Captagon pills in return for JD300,” court documents said.

When the two met, the defendant handed the AND agent the illegal stash and the minute he received the payment he was arrested, court papers added.

Captagon (fenethylline) is a synthetic stimulant similar to amphetamine. Although banned in most countries in the 1980s, illegally produced and smuggled Captagon — sometimes containing amphetamine instead of fenethylline — is a common drug abused in the Middle East, according to web sources. 

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