The implications of last week’s request by the United States government for the extradition of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke on alleged drug trafficking charges are expected to unfold in the coming weeks and months.
Under existing conditions, the US request for his extradition would be forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after which it is expected to be sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), then to the Attorney General’s office and back to the DPP where arrests warrants are drawn up and sent to the police.
Coke is the leader of Tivoli Gardens, where residents are fiercely loyal to the ruling party. Details are sketchy, but Coke is believed to be on a list of drug trafficking suspects wanted by the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
His father, Lester Lloyd Coke, otherwise known as Jim Brown, leader of the feared Shower Posse, died at the General Penitentiary in 1992 while awaiting extradition to the US for murder and drug trafficking.
Coke’s brother, Omar, was one of two alleged cop killers shot by police after they reportedly gunned down a police corporal at the intersection of West Kings House and Waterloo roads in May 2003. Prior to that, Mark Anthony Coke, his elder brother, was gunned down in 1992.
Coke’s troubles
Christopher Coke has had his own troubles with the law. In 1997, he was charged for murder after he allegedly shot and killed Michael Porter at the Metropolitan Bus Terminus in downtown Kingston. He was exonerated.
The community leader was also implicated in a triple murder in Hannah Town, which rocked the nation in 1993, when two children and an old man were killed in a blaze of gunfire.
The victims, Errol Hines, 66-year-old shoemaker, seven-year-old Lorna Mitchell and five-year-old Audrey Collins were gunned down during a pre-dawn strike on the community. Coke appeared in court in March 1994, but the case was dismissed after the main witness changed her testimony. She was cited for perjury.
Coke’s rule, however, has not been smooth. He earned the wrath of former Opposition Leader Edward Seaga in 1994, after Tivoli Gardens gangsters clashed with opponents in the west Kingston constituency.
Fifteen persons, including seven-year-old Crystal Francis of 13 Wellington Street, were murdered. An angry Seaga, who was then the MP for west Kingston, submitted a list of names of 13 men to then commissioner of police, Colonel Trevor MacMillan (retired), and threatened to publish a full-page ad with a reward of $25,000 for Coke’s capture.
Coke’s current status with Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Member of Parliament for west Kingston, is not clear. According to sources in the constituency, PM Golding has been forced to deal with the strongman who, like his predecessors, Claudie Massop, and Coke’s father, is well cemented in the constituency.
Tightly controlled
It is well known that like other garrison communities, west Kingston is tightly controlled. According to sources, under the rules which govern the community, gang members who take guns into the community, must declare them and then a decision is taken whether they should keep the weapons. In some cases, members are allowed to keep their weapons if they are of the calibre that is usually kept on the street corners. Otherwise, the system owns and controls all guns.
The history of the community was among factors which influenced incumbent commissioner of police Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin to describe the community as the “mother of all garrisons” while he was head of the army.
There is no doubt that the US request sent shockwaves throughout the country and especially in the JLP strongholds, as many are sitting on the fence watching how the government would deal with its latest dilemma.
Listen all a unnu weh a talk, if he was wanted by the US, why didn’t they arrest him how long now and he travels??? Like Mr Name said, Jamaica must stop suck up to the US!!! We are an independent Country and should make decisions INDEPENDENTLY!!!! Jamaica is already in a state and whatever happens will definitely affect the whole country. This is not good as the Government is trying to rebuild the country. Blood shed we can do without. What about innocent lives that will be taken? If he is not wanted in Jamaica, what the hell is the fuss about? To Kingston 12 (whoever you may be) We shouldn’t need the US to help us decide nothing. We have out own government who we elected to do just that!!!
Looks like Jamacia going finaly free, I noted from some time ago that my little paradise island has been smash to pieces and devastated, and it is run by dogs only and solely due to the “The war on drugs” thats America and we Yardie Bad boys dem fighting for control of Ganja,,,,none of them have read Isaiah 42 verse 3 in where Flax is hemp and hemp is cannabis (seek old dictionary with first meanings)to which America in the 1960s had no right to9 outlaw causing and fueling all this killing and fighting in our streets not just in Jamacia, or the U S but also England and other places,,,,To Much Brains ha fry and to much people ha die.
Signed Christ In Person;
Satan came to steal rob and destgroy but got caught, end of the story.
These people dont know nothing about tivoli garden i live in tivoli for twelve years before i became an american citizen i have all my family, siblings and frens there tivoli is the safest place anyone can be alot of people who have problems in their constituency run from their home and now live in tivoli if he was such a bad person as these people make it seem they would have never be able to come there. Dudus is the nicest person anyone can meet if it wasn’t for him trying to enforce his rules the jamaica police would have already killed everybody who live in tivoli his siblings might have had a bad past but this man that you guys are talking about ya’ll dont know nothing about him. He is a father to who dont have any everyone one in tivoli respects him because he gives respect so all you people who are talking BS yall talking through hear say or he say she say. As i said before tivoli is the safest place anyone can ever be unless these jamaican police who dont have nothing to try to come in their and prove a point to who knows who. Its been so many years since he so call commit these crimes leave the man alone let him live his life in peace go damn.
it is needed …but alot of people will die.so the government got to be prepared for the out come.there is no law in jamaica the politians and the area leaders are one in the same!
There are several issues here, one is the issue of the crime in Jamaica. Jamaica does not want to seem in anyway a supporter of any criminal no matter what his status…so in that sense we the people would expect them to act accordingly. The second, is this, the FACT is Dudus plays a very important role in the current peace that presides over Tivoli. Based on history we are aware of Tivoli’s history. So in that sense I would recommend that PM Bruce handles this with much wisdom and caution because there will be MUCH BLOOD SHED this is the fact and any type of war will affect a community/country. Downtown kingston is one of the busy areas for POOR People so if that part closes down you will then have the outbreak of thieves, gun men heading to the streets etc, which we all know the police cannot control because prior to this Dudus fellow there was a constant report of death and blood shed. Third, in my opinion Jamaica needs to stop giving into the US this treaty of extradition should not have been signed, might i add was signed in april 30 of 1984 or 1987 not quite positive of the year. Are we able to extradite criminals from the US to do time in Jamaica… but what the PM in Jamaica is not telling us is that with these deals that they are making with the US for money each time they sell out jamaica…. THIS is a very scary time and it’s a bad thing all around… Lets pray for the best….
Kingston 12, you must be a PNP that’s why you a run off yuh mouth suh!