Cassation Court upholds one-year jail term for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an October 2022 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to over one year in prison after convicting him of possessing a variety of illegal narcotics in Amman in March of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent in Jabal Weibdeh on March. 3.

The SSC handed the defendant an 18-month prison term for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD1,000 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 illegal drugs in return for JD45,” 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 hashish, Marijuana and Crystal meth on him". 

The defendant confessed to possessing illegal narcotics for personal use, court transcripts 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 defence also charged that his client was “possessing illegal narcotics for personal use”.

“My client is young and deserves to have the chance to reconcile himself instead of being sent to prison,” the lawyer demanded in his defence argument.  

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 without being subjected to any form of duress,” the higher court said.

The Cassation Court bench comprised of judges Mahmoud Ebtoush, Hayel Amr, Fawzi Nafar, Mohammad Shreiri and Majid Azab.