Drug dealer handed 3 years in prison

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to three years in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in October 2021.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent on October 29.

The SSC handed the defendant the maximum punishment and ordered him to pay JD3,000 in fines. 

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learned that the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics and placed him under surveillance.

“AND agents followed the defendant and pulled him over on October 29,” the court documents said.

Upon searching the defendant’s vehicle, AND personnel found various amounts of unspecified illegal narcotics in his vehicle, the court stated. 

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 sentence 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 Mohmoud Ebtoush, Majid Azab, Mohammad Shrairi, Fawzi Nahar and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.