Drug dealer handed over 3 years in prison

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an August 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 April 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining hashish with the intent of selling the drug to an undercover agent on April 20.

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 was in possession of illegal narcotics and sent one of its officers to pose as a buyer.

“The AND officer got in touch with the defendant and asked him for a small stash of illegal drugs in exchange for JD15,” the court documents said.

When the two met, AND personnel immediately arrested the suspect, the court papers stated.

Upon searching the defendant, AND personnel found a small quantity of illegal narcotics on him, according to the court papers. 

The law enforcement officers also found an electronic scale that was reportedly used to weigh the illegal narcotics.

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 presiding were Mahmoud Ebtoush, Majid Azab, Mohammad Shreiri, Fawzi Nahar and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.