Man handed 4-year prison term for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to four years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Maan last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing over 5,000 Captagon pills with the intent of smuggling them to a neighbouring county and handed him a five-year prison term.

However, the SSC decided to reduce the sentence to four years in prison to “give the defendant a second chance in life”.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay JD5,000 in fines.

Court documents said the defendant possessed illegal narcotics and wanted to earn quick cash.

However, the defendant was arrested by Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents who had received a tip-off that he had illegal narcotics in his possession.

Upon searching the defendant, court papers said, the AND personnel found "Captagon pills hidden in coffee boxes at his house". 

The defendant confessed willingly to “possessing the illegal narcotics and hiding the pills in his house to sell them to smuggle them to a neighbouring country”, court documents said.

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, Fawzi Nahar, Majid Azab, Hayel Amr and Nayef Samarat.