Ammon News - The Court of Cassation has upheld a December 2019 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to seven years in prison after convicting him of attempting to smuggle illegal narcotics to a neighbouring country in October 2018.

The court declared the defendant guilty of possessing 25,000 Captagon pills with the intent of smuggling them to Saudi Arabia and handed him the maximum punishment.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay JD7,000 in fines.

Court documents said the defendant bought the illegal narcotics from a man in Mafraq, who was also tried on the same charges but did not appeal his verdict.

“The defendant hid the illegal pills in the spare tyre of the vehicle that he intended to drive to Saudi Arabia,” court papers said.

However, the defendant was arrested by Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents who found the illegal narcotics in his possession.

The defendant confessed willingly to “buying the illegal narcotics and hiding the pills in the vehicle”, court documents said.

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

The defendant also claimed that he was subjected to torture and duress to confess to the charges.

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,” the higher court said.

The higher court also stated that the defendant did not provide any evidence to prove his innocence.

The Court of Cassation judges presiding were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Bassim Mubeidin and Saeed Mugheid.