Man sentenced to over 3 years for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a March State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to over three years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in November of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining hashish, an illegal narcotic, with the intent of selling it to an undercover agent on November 27.

The SSC handed the defendant a five-year prison term and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.

However, the SSC decided to reduce the prison term to three years and four months for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics, and ordered him to pay JD3,500 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learned 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 for a small stash of the drugs in exchange for JD85,” the court documents said.

When the two met, AND agents immediately arrested the suspect, the court papers added.

Upon searching the defendant, the court papers said, AND personnel found “a small quantity of hashish on him”. 

Upon searching his home in an eastern Amman neighbourhood, AND agents found additional illicit drugs.

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 sentence against the defendant.

“It was clear to the court that the defendant confessed willingly to possessing the illegal drugs without being subjected to any form of duress,” the higher court said.

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Qassem Dughmi, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi and Fawzi Nahar.