Widow sentenced to over 3 years in prison for drug dealing

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a female drug dealer to over three years in prison after convicting her of selling illegal narcotics to an undercover agent earlier this year.

The court declared the defendant, a widow, guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics (Captagon and hashish) with the intent of selling the drugs to an undercover agent in Amman’s Khalda neighbourhood on February 22, 2022.

The SSC handed the defendant five years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics, and ordered her 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  to “give the defendant a second chance in life”.

Court documents said that 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 got in touch with the defendant and asked her for Captagon pills in exchange for JD45,” the court documents said.

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

Upon searching the defendant’s home, the court papers said, AND personnel “found an additional amount of illegal pills and hashish at her residence”. 

The defendant contested the SSC’s ruling through her lawyer, who argued that the court “did not provide solid evidence to implicate his client”.

“My client is also a widow and supports a family, and should not receive this long prison term,” the lawyer argued.

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, Nayef Samarat, Qassem Dughmi, Hammad Ghzawi and Mohammad Khashashneh.