Man sentenced to 3 years in jail for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September 2020 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to three years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in January of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing illegal narcotics with the intent of selling it in the local market.

However, the defendant was unable to carry out his plans because he was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) on January 15.

The SSC ordered him to pay JD1,000 in fines.

Court documents said AND agents learned that the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics and in mid-January decided to raid his home in Dhulail.

“The AND agents searched his house and found around two kilogrammes of hashish and 390 Captagon pills,” the court documents said.

The defendant “confessed to possessing the illegal narcotics when he was arrested, stating he planned to sell them in the local market,” according to the court transcripts.  

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court claimed that “the prosecution failed to 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 and the punishment is correct,” the higher court said.

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azzab, Fawzi Nahar, Hayel Amr and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.