Syrian handed 15 years in prison over drug smuggling charges

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Thursday sentenced a Syrian man to 15 years in prison after convicting him of attempting to smuggle 1 tonne of hashish into the Kingdom.

The court declared the defendant guilty of drug trafficking charges and ordered that he pays JD20,000 in fines, a senior judicial source said.

“The SSC decided to hand the defendant the maximum penalty because the amount is large and because the SSC tribunals are leaning towards giving the maximum punishment for defendants in illegal-narcotics cases,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

Court papers said the defendant was stopped by customs agents while attempting to enter the country with a truck coming from a neighbouring country.

“The driver claimed that he was hauling fruits, but when agents searched the shipment, they discovered the illegal narcotics,” the court said. 

The SSC tribunal comprised military judges Mohammad Afif, Adel Humeidat and Amer Halaseh.

Thursday’s verdict will automatically be reviewed by the Cassation Court in the next 30 days.