10-year sentence upheld for man convicted of trafficking 90,000 pills

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld a March State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a man to 10 years in prison after convicting him of illegal drug trafficking in Zarqa’s Dleil area in September 2016.

On September 4, the SSC declared the defendant guilty of trafficking some 90,000 captagon pills, sentencing him to 15 years in prison and fining him JD10,000.

However, the SSC then decided to reduce the sentence to 10 years in prison to “give the defendant a second chance in life”.

Court papers said that the defendant was found in possession of over 90,000 captagon pills, which he intended to sell.

The Anti-Narcotics-Department (AND) received a tip-off that the defendant was looking for buyers and sent one of its officer undercover posing as a customer.

“The undercover agent offered the defendant JD83,000 for the amount he had and he agreed,” the court said.

While the two were making the transaction, agents entered the house and arrested the suspect, court papers said.

The higher court ruled late last month that the SSC’s proceedings were accurate and correct and the defendant received the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court comprised judges Yassin Abdullat, Daoud Tubeleh, Mohammad Tarawneh, Mohammad Beirodi and Bassem Mubeidin.