State Security Court issues unprecedented life sentence to repeat drug offender

AMMAN — In an unprecedented ruling, the State Security Court (SSC) on Tuesday sentenced a repeat drug offender to life in prison after convicting him of smuggling cocaine from a neighbouring country in 2021.

The SSC also ordered the defendant to pay JD20,000 in fines after convicting him of smuggling 4.1kg of cocaine from a neighbouring country, a senior judicial source said.

A second defendant who was tried in the same case received a 10-year prison term and JD20,000 in fines.

“The SSC decided to hand the defendant the maximum punishment because he was convicted of smuggling illicit drugs in the past and was handed a five-year prison term,” the senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

Therefore, the judicial source maintained, “the SSC decided to hand the highest sentence in the history of the SSC as a form of deterrence”.

Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) received a tip-off that the defendants were planning to smuggle cocaine from a neighbouring country.

“The AND agents followed the lead, monitored the suspects and arrested them,” the court papers said.

Upon searching the vehicle, the court maintained, the law-enforcement officials found the illegal goods hidden in the vehicle.

The tribunal was presided over by Lt. Col. Amer Halaseh, Lt. Col. Ayman Emoush and Maj. Thamer Quteifat.

Tuesday’s verdict will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.