Man gets 10-year prison term for possession of illegal drugs

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January 2020 State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a man to 10 years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Mafraq in March 2019.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing 10,7500 Captagon pills on March 20 with the intent of selling the illegal narcotics and handed him a 15-year prison term and JD10,000 in fines.

However, the SSC decided to drop the charges to 10 years and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) received a tip-off that the defendant was transporting illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the pills and set up a police checkpoint in his neighbourhood.

“AND and customs agents attempted to stop the defendant, but he drove off and crashed his vehicle and was immediately arrested,” according to court documents.

The agents searched his vehicle and found Captagon pills stashed in bags and hidden in the vehicle, the court added.

The defendant did not contest the SSC’s ruling at a higher court.

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.

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin and Saeed Mugheid.