Cassation Court upholds 2-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an August 2023 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to two years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in June of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent on June 9.

The SSC handed the defendant two years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD2,000 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt 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 Hashish and 60 Captagon pills in return for JD190,” 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 a small quantity of illegal narcotics on him". 

The officers also found a mobile with the defendant which investigators later proved was used in the illicit drug exchange deal.

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,” the higher court said.

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