Drug dealer jailed for 5 years

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to five years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Zarqa in September 2019.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining a variety of illegal narcotics on February 10 with the intent of selling the drugs in the local market.

The SSC handed the defendant the maximum punishment for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics on September 5 and sent one of its agents to pose as a buyer.

“The AND agent got in touch with the defendant and bought some illegal narcotics for the amount of JD5,” court documents said.

Few months later, AND agents raided the defendant’s home and found additional illegal narcotics and JD975 that was used in drug dealing, according to court papers.

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 defendant also claimed that he was subjected to torture and duress “in order to confess to a crime that he did not commit”.

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, Hayel Amr, Majid Azab, Fawzi Nahar and Nayef Samarat.