Cassation Court upholds over 3-year sentence for drug dealer

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a 19-year-old drug dealer to over three years in prison after convicting him of selling illegal narcotics to a police officer in Mafraq in January 2022.

The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent in Mafraq on Jan. 23.

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

However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD3,500 and the prison term to three years and four months in prison to give the defendant a second chance in life.

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

“The AND agent got in touch with the defendant and asked him for 230 Captagon pills in return for JD230,” court documents said.

When the two met, AND agents immediately arrested the suspect, court papers added.

Upon searching the defendant, the court maintained, officers found 230 Captagon pills on him.

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 to sell in the local market,” the higher court said.

The court also relied on the undercover police officer who testified to contacting the defendant and then finding the illegal narcotics on him when they met for the exchange, the court papers added.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Fazi Nahar, Hayel Amr and Ibrahim Abu Shamma.