Cassation Court upholds over 3-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June 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 January of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (hashish) with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent in the Tabarbour neighbourhood on January 25.

The SSC handed the defendant five years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.

However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD3,500 and the prison term to three years and four months to give the defendant a second chance in life.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learned the defendant had 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 Hashish in return for JD80,” court documents said.

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

Upon searching the defendant, court papers said, AND personnel found 95 grammes of Hashish in his possession". 

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to prove that the defendant was selling drugs”.

“My client possessed illegal narcotics for personal use,” the lawyer argued.

The defendant also charged that the court prevented him from questioning the witnesses, according to his lawyer.

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,” the higher court said.

The Court of Cassation judges were Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh, Qassem Dughmi, and Hammad Ghzawi.