Repeat drug offender handed 18 months for crystal meth possession

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May 2022 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a repeat offender to 18 months in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in April 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing crystal meth, an illegal narcotic, for personal use on April 25. The defendant was handed the maximum punishment.

The court, which issued the verdict one month after arresting the defendant, also ordered him to pay JD1,000 in fines for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learned that the defendant, who has 13 prior criminal charges related to illegal drug possession, had obtained illegal narcotics, leading the police to place him under surveillance.

Upon arresting the defendant, the court maintained, AND agents found the illegal drugs in his possession.

Crystal meth is the common name for crystal methamphetamine, a strong and highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system, according to WebMD.

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that “my defendant was not convicted in all of the 13 previous cases”.

In addition, the lawyer also informed the court that “my client is the main supporter of a large family, and does not have any income apart from his job, all of which he dedicates to taking care of his family”.

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 added that "being the primary supporter of a family is not an excuse for the defendant and, therefore, he should not benefit from any reduction in penalty".

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Muhammad Ibrahim, Majed Azab, Fawzi Nahar, Mohammad Shreiri and Hayel Amr.