AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld an April 2023 State Security Court (SSC) ruling sentencing a man to one year in prison after convicting him of possessing illegal narcotics in Amman in December 2022.

 

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing illegal narcotics while on the street in the Wadi Rimam area on Dec. 20.

 

The SSC handed the defendant a punishment of one year in prison and ordered him to pay JD1,000 in fines.

 

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

 

“The AND agents arrested the defendant and found six Captagon pills for personal use,” court documents said.

 

Upon searching his vehicle, the court maintained that law-enforcement officers found “60 additional Captagon pills and a small stash of hashish for his personal use,” according to court papers.

 

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through his lawyer, who argued that “the punishment was harsh since my client possessed a small amount of illicit drugs”.

 

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 the illegal drugs for personal use,” the higher court said.

 

Therefore, the higher court maintained that the defendant deserves the punishment he received.

 

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Majid Azab, Hammad Ghzawi, Qassem Dughmi and Mohammad Khashashneh.