Cassation Court upholds over 3-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July 2022 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 December 2021.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent in the Nuzha neighbourhood on December 27.

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 in prison to give the defendant a second chance in life.

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 Crystal meth in return for JD10,” court documents said.

When the two met, the law enforcement officer handed over the cash in return for the illegal narcotics, court papers added.

The defendant was placed under surveillance by officers who were tasked with this mission, court papers said.

In mid-January the defendant was arrested and referred to the SSC prosecutor’s office for further questioning and indictment, the 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”.

The lawyer argued that the court relied on contradictory statements by the prosecution witnesses.

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 Mahmoud Ebtoush, Nayef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh, Qassem Dughmi and Hammad Ghzawi.