Man handed 10-year prison term for drug possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a September State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to 10 years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Mafraq in January of last year.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing a stash of illegal narcotics while driving his vehicle on the Mafraq Highway and handed him a 15-year prison term.

However, the SSC decided to reduce the sentence to 10 years in prison to “give the defendant a second chance in life”.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay JD5,000 in fines.

Court documents said the defendant was riding his vehicle on the Mafraq Highway on January 1 when a police patrol attempted to stop him as part of a routine checkup.

“The defendant refused to pull over and instead sped away with his vehicle,” court papers said.

The police patrol chased the defendant who “opened his window and threw a bag from his moving vehicle”, court documents said.

The patrol picked up the bag and continued the chase and eventually arrested the defendant, court papers added.

Upon inspecting the bag and searching the defendant’s vehicle, the police found a variety of illegal narcotics, court papers stated.

The defendant confessed willingly to “buying the illegal narcotics with the intent of selling it locally and he is a known drug dealer,” according to court documents.

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court “did not depend on 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 and storing the illegal drugs in his home,” the higher court said.

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Nayef Samarat, Ahmad Qatawneh, Mohammad Khashashneh and Majid Azab.