Cassation Court upholds 7-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a drug dealer to seven years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in February 2023.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing illegal narcotics near the Naour area on February 1.

The SSC handed the defendant a punishment of seven years in prison and ordered him to pay JD7,000 in fines.

Court documents said an Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) patrol was stationed at Naour-Adasieh road and was stopping vehicles randomly for a police check.

The defendant was riding in his vehicle and refused to pull over when he was ordered to by the AND patrol, the court papers said.

“The AND patrol chased the defendant briefly before he crashed into a road barricade and was arrested,” the court documents said.

The law-enforcement agency found 3.5 kilogrammes of hashish and 2,915 Captagon pills, according to the court papers. 

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the “illicit drugs did not belong to his client”.

The defence also charged that there were irregularities in the investigation procedures.  

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 sentences against the defendant.

“It was clear to the court that the defendant confessed willingly to possessing the illegal drugs,” the higher court said.

Therefore, the higher court maintained that the defendant deserved the punishment he received.

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