Man handed 15-month jail term for selling illegal narcotics

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation upheld a September State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a drug dealer to 15 months in prison after convicting him of selling illegal narcotics to an undercover agent in Amman in April of 2019.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing and selling illegal narcotics with the intent to sell them in the local market in mid-November.

The SSC handed the defendant a one-year-and-three-month prison term for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD1,500 in fines.

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

“The AND agent agreed to meet with the defendant near the Seventh Circle in the capital,” the court documents said.

When the defendant arrived to the meeting area, “he was immediately arrested by AND agents,” the court documents added.

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