Court rules on major drug case as anti-narcotics agency intensifies campaign

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) military panel on Wednesday issued its ruling in what is known as "the Aqaba cocaine smuggling" case, which involved six suspects, two of whom are at large. 

The panel sentenced the first, second and third suspects to 15 years with hard labour and a fine of JD20,000 each, after convicting them of importing drugs for trafficking purposes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The SSC charged the fourth suspect of possessing drugs for doping, and sentenced him to two-year imprisonment and JD3,000 fine for each charge, making the final sentence four-year imprisonment and JD6,000 fine.

The fifth and sixth suspect were declared innocent for lack of evidence, and the court decided to confiscate the drugs and other seized items in the case, Petra reported.

In April 2014, the convicts imported a container comprising 314 kilogrammes of cocaine from Colombia; the first suspect used an import card which belonged to the sixth suspect to complete clearance procedures through a clearance office at the Aqaba Container Terminal.

Afterwards, the container was sent to a warehouse in Amman's Bayader area belonging to the first suspect before dividing the shipment into small parcels to be stored in an apartment in Tlaa Al Ali owned by the fourth suspect.

Responding to tips, the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) received in May, 2014, the first and second suspects were apprehended and the fourth suspect's apartment was raided, where agents found the cocaine, according to Petra.

In a related development, AND  announced Tuesday that its agents arrested 13 suspects of drug dealing during 11 raids they carried out on houses in the capital's Sahab neighbourhood, a Public Security Department (PSD) statement said Wednesday, also responding to a tip. 

Searching the suspects' residences, AND agents found hashish, synthetic cannabis (locally known as "joker") which were ready for sale, the PSD said, adding that the AND personnel also found and two firearms. 

During the second half of March, AND personnel arrested 122 suspects in drug dealing cases. 

In that period, AND agents confiscated 17kg of hashish, 9kg of synthetic cannabis, 13,000 Captagon pills, and 105,000 illegal narcotic pills and medical products, in addition to 21 firearms and ammunition.

One of the major cases was a raid on a suspected dealer’s house in Zarqa, who was arrested with possession of 11kg of hashish. AND agents also arrested a suspect in Sahab, who was in possession of 80,000 narcotic pills.