Man sentenced to over one year in prison for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to over one year in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in February 2020.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining less than half a kilogramme of hashish on February 2 in Sahab for his personal use.

The SSC handed the defendant a three-year prison term for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD1,000 in fines.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to 16 months in prison and reduced the fine to JD500 to give the defendant “a second chance in life”.

Court documents said the defendant was riding in his vehicle in Sahab area when a police patrol attempted to stop him.

The defendant refused to stop and sped off with his vehicle “and rammed into a police vehicle while escaping”, court papers said.

Following a brief car chase, “the police was able to arrest the defendant”.

Upon searching the vehicle, the court maintained, police found a hashish cigarette inside the car, court documents said.

Investigators headed to the defendant’s home where they found more illegal narcotics, court papers added.

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.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abu Shamma, Fawzi Nahar, Majid Azab and Hayel Amr.