Drug dealer handed 3-year prison term

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to three years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in January of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining several kinds of illicit drugs on January 21 with the intent of selling them in the local market.

The SSC handed the defendant a three-year prison term for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD3,000 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) received a tip-off that the defendant, along with several other defendants who did not appeal their verdicts, were in possession of illegal narcotics.

The defendants hid the illegal drugs in one of their homes and stashed some of the drugs in foil paper in preparation to distribute the illegal goods in the local market, according to court transcripts.

“The AND agents raided the house and seized various quantities of illicit drugs,” the court documents said. 

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 sentences 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 Mohammad Ibrahim, Fawzi Nahar, Majid Azab, Ibrahim Abu Shamma and Hayel Amr.