Foreign Affairs Minister Kenneth Baugh yesterday confirmed that the US Government has formally requested the extradition of influential Tivoli Gardens don and businessman, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
"The Government has been notified and discussions are taking place. It is principally the prerogative of the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General's office," Baugh told the Observer.
Extradition requests are first sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which must pass them on to the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General. The documents eventually end up on the desk of the Director of Public Prosecutions who will rule if arrest warrants must be drawn up.
Coke is allegedly wanted on drug trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Prominent attorney, Tom Tavares-Finson, who has represented Coke and his family in the past, told the Observer yesterday that he had no idea what his client was wanted for as Coke had no connections with the United States.
"I don't know what they want him for. I don't have any access to the documents yet," Tavares-Finson said.
Tavares-Finson also said he was not sure if Coke would turn himself in.
Under the Extradition Treaty, accused persons do not have to sell illicit drugs in the US to be convicted in that country.
In January, Norris 'Deedo' Nembhard, who was extradited to the US in July last year, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a Florida court.
Nembhard had contended that he had never travelled to the United States but was convicted on the evidence of a man who claimed to have been trafficking drugs for him and other persons.
Nembhard, who was designated by former US president George W Bush as a drug kingpin, was extradited along with brothers, Glenroy and Robroy 'Spy' Williams, Vivian Dalley and former police corporal Herbert 'Scarry' Henry.
The man who gave evidence against Nembhard was Williams' nephew, who was held in international waters aboard a go-fast boat laden with over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.
He was reportedly offered a plea bargain deal by the US authorities and gave up his former cronies.
Yesterday, a highly placed Observer source said the request for Coke's arrest and extradition is one of many to come.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has reportedly been probing the activities of senior politicians, police officers and sportsmen who are allegedly involved in the illegal trade of contraband.
Coke is the son of Lester Lloyd Coke, popularly known as 'Jim Brown', who died in February 1992 in a mysterious fire which broke out in his cell at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.
'Jim Brown' was held by local cops after the US Government requested his extradition for a series of crimes committed in that country.
Along with his confidante, Vivian Blake, 'Jim Brown' was accused of running a multi-million-dollar drug-dealing gang known as the Shower Posse, which wreaked havoc in several major US cities.
According to the US authorities, the Shower Posse was responsible for more than 1,000 murders and gained the name because of its members' habit of spraying their victims with bullets.
Blake has since been released from prison in the US, after spending eight years, and deported.
In October 2005, Coke was held and charged with possession of ganja when police raided his lavish upper St Andrew residence.
Attorney denies 'Dudus' snatched by US authorities
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Attorney Tom Tavares-Finson on Friday scotched a rumour that Tivoli Gardens don Christopher 'Dudus' Coke had been snatched by US authorities and taken out of the island.
"It is not true," Tavares-Finson told the Sunday Observer, adding that the rumour had created a bit of unnecessary panic in downtown Kingston and that some store owners were closing early. Police say this house in Plantation Heights, St Andrew belongs to Christopher Coke, who is also known as 'Dudus'.
News surfaced last week that the US authorities have formally requested that the Jamaican Government extradite Coke, also known as 'The President' or 'Shortman', setting tongues wagging at the possible social and political repercussions the request could have on the country.
For years, Coke has managed to stay below the radar, although the very mention of his name drives fear into the hearts of many across the island.
Known as a don-turned-businessman, he wields much power and influence in West Kingston, especially in the Jamaica Labour Party strongholds of Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town.
Coke is the second youngest son of Shower Posse boss Lester Lloyd Coke, also called 'Jim Brown', who died in a mysterious fire in his cell at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston in 1992.
That same year, Coke's elder brother and heir to the Shower Posse throne, Mark 'Jah T' Coke, was shot and killed as he rode a motorcycle along the lower section of Maxfield Avenue. Mark Coke was buried in May Pen Cemetery the same day his father burnt to death.
Coke also lost his sister to gunmen's bullets, and in 2005 another brother, Christopher 'Chris Royal' Coke, was cut down by police bullets minutes after the shooting death of Corporal Hewitt Chandler near the Canadian High Commission in the Corporate Area.
According to a police source, Coke's influence stretches wider than his West Kingston fiefdom to other JLP strongholds across the country.
"He is the leading figure among JLP garrisons and many leaders in those communities report to him. He is tremendously powerful and is feared by friends and foes alike," the source told the Sunday Observer.
Since the deaths of his father and brother in 1992, Coke, who attended Ardenne High School, has been the leader of the Tivoli Gardens community.
Coke and his close confidant, Justin O'Gilvie, are partners in the construction company Incomparable Enterprises, which was awarded three contracts valued at $32 million from the Ministry of Water and Housing in June for work in Tivoli Gardens.
Incomparable Enterprises was also awarded a $1.3-million contract, under emergency procurement, to transport materials from Bull Bay in St Andrew to contain a blaze which broke out at the Riverton City landfill in January.
Coke is also the principal of the Presidential Click company which is headquartered in Tivoli Gardens.
Presidential Click organises the Champions In Action stage show which is known to attract thousands of patrons and has widely been touted as one of few live events staged without any violent incidents.
The show is usually held without the usual battery of security guards and police officers but patrons are known to line up in an orderly fashion and no one dares to jump the fence or get into any of the venues by dishonest means.
"Jamaicans are known for their disorderliness, but they know what will befall them if they behave badly at a Champions in Action show," one cop, who refused to be named, said.
Coke is also a record producer and the promoter of the weekly dance Passa Passa, which is known to last until daylight despite Commissioner Hardley Lewin's pronouncement last year that no dance should go beyond 2:00 am in accordance with the Night Noise Abatement Act.
"When all other dances are shut down by the police, Passa Passa is seemingly untouchable. It shows just how influential the man is," the cop said.
Police say that Coke also owns several residences, including a lavish house nestled in the cool hills of Plantation Heights in Red Hills, St Andrew.
Coke was arrested in 2005 after police raided his upper St Andrew home and found a small quantity of ganja.
He appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court and was fined $200 or 10 days for ganja possession.
Coke was among several persons whose names were handed over to former police commissioner Colonel Trevor MacMillan by former member of parliament for West Kingston, Edward Seaga.
On Friday, Seaga refused to comment on the latest development involving Coke.
"I have been out of Tivoli Gardens for five years and I have nothing to say on the matter," Seaga told the Sunday Observer.
In his Tivoli Gardens fortress, Coke is known for his benevolence and reportedly hands out money and school supplies at the start of each school year to children in need.
The proceeds are said to come from the profits made at the Champions In Action stage show.
He is also known to be a no-nonsense man who runs his community with an iron fist.
Coke has been credited for the drop in petty theft and crime in downtown Kingston. In Tivoli Gardens, rapists, thieves and others who violate the community order are disciplined harshly.
Coke's influence is said to stretch to overseas cities in England and the United States where his father's underlings once ran amok as the Shower Posse.
He has been credited with reorganising Shower Posse operatives and has managed to keep them below the radar of the authorities in those countries.
However, he came to the attention of Scotland Yard after a rise in violent crimes among rival Jamaican gangs in the UK in 2001.
He has also been under investigation by the United States authorities since 1999.
US gov't names Dudus among world's most dangerous drug dealers
Published: Tuesday | September 1, 2009
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
West Kingston strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is extradited and convicted by United States authorities.
The 40-year-old Coke has been named by the US Department of Justice to a list of "consolidate priority organisation targets" which includes persons the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) says are the "world's most dangerous narcotics kingpins".
"The charges against Christopher Michael Coke starkly illustrate the dangerous connection between the international trade in narcotics and illicit firearms," US officials said in a release dated August 28.
Various charges
John P. Gilbride, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Javier F. Pena, special agent in charge of the US Drug Enforcement Agency's Caribbean Division, have announced that Coke is wanted to answer several charges.
In the release, the US authorities announced that Coke has been charged with conspiracy to distribute ganja and cocaine and conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms.
"The United States has formally requested through diplomatic channels that Jamaican authorities formally arrest Coke and extradite him to the Southern District of New York on the US charges," the release added.
If convicted on the narcotics charge, Coke faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison as well as a fine of up to US$4 million or twice the pecuniary gain from the offence.
In addition, Coke faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of US$250,000 on the firearm trafficking charge.
Mere accusations
However, in a note of caution, the US authorities said that the charges contained in the indictment against Coke are "merely accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty".
Last night, The Gleaner was unsuccessful in its efforts to contact the attorney expected to represent Coke, Tom Tavares-Finson.
However, The Associated Press reported that Tavares-Finson dismissed the allegations as "hype" from the DEA and said his client was dumbfounded.
"He can't understand what it could possibly be," AP further quoted Tavares-Finson. "We'll wait and see. I don't know what's going to happen with the Jamaican Government."
Stil the same old game, we dont own no ships or manufacture guns but is always the little man whah happen to the big fish, the same one sell you the gun weh yuh use fi murder you own black man, and di crack we yuh use poision yuh people, a dem a try ex- tradite yuh. A bet yuh a white man a yankee do something a JA. and run go a foreighn Goldong cant extradite them dung ya, mek dem bwoy de go Stuff dem mumma a guh weh. dem yankee deh a fuel di greatest demand fi di world drugs. GO extradite di bwoy George BUSH AND CHENY AND crew yuh can hide from man but you can not hide from God. God a go deal with dem.
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Originally Posted By: Marklon
Stil the same old game, we dont own no ships or manufacture guns but is always the little man whah happen to the big fish, the same one sell you the gun weh yuh use fi murder you own black man, and di crack we yuh use poision yuh people, a dem a try ex- tradite yuh. A bet yuh a white man a yankee do something a JA. and run go a foreighn Goldong cant extradite them dung ya, mek dem bwoy de go Stuff dem mumma a guh weh. dem yankee deh a fuel di greatest demand fi di world drugs. GO extradite di bwoy George BUSH AND CHENY AND crew yuh can hide from man but you can not hide from God. God a go deal with dem.
You said it all. Thanks. But who pulls the trigger and why? We neither make cell phone, Bimmer or Lexus
New reality game show in Ja - Who wants to be a Don(avan)??
YEAH rude bwoy the the greatest handicap of the so- called Negro is that he has no love for self and kind. Self hate is the order of the day, our love and unity if we had it, would solve 90 per cent of our problem, love and unity is more powerful than any atomic bomb. The man that sell you the gun and the drugs is just as bad as you who pull the trigger , and poison your people.
Yes papa, you are absolutley right, the greatest handicap of the so called Negro is that he has no love for self and kind. Love and unity is more powerful than any atomic bomb. If we had love and unity we would solve 90% of our problems. We cant continue to blame the man, yes render to cesar what is due to cezar and to god what is due to god, we know what they have done and continue to do. However the man that sell you the gun you use to blow yuh black brother away or the poision crack is just as guilty as you, he is just a wise satan wickedly wize.
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DEA outlines case against 'Dudus'
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
THE Drug Enforcement Agency's New York Division yesterday released the full indictment against Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher Michael Coke.
The indictment outlines several drug and firearm-related accusations against Coke who is also named by the aliases 'Michael Christopher Coke', 'Paul Christopher Scott', 'Presi', 'General', 'Shortman', and 'Dudus'.
Coke was on Monday added to the list of Consolidated Priority Organisation Targets by the US Department of Justice, which, the Americans say, includes the world's most dangerous narcotics kingpins.
The Manhattan US Attorney listed nine co-conspirators who are alleged to have worked alongside Coke since 1994. However, none of the nine were listed as defendants.
However, last night, one of Coke's lawyers, Chris Tavares-Finson, pointed out that what the US Attorney has released were mere allegations.
"Now, what you have to look at is what is the evidence that supports the allegations and if it does. That is what the attorney general will have to consider in dealing with the matter," said Tavares-Finson. "What you have to remember is that anybody can draft an indictment stating anything, so it is really a matter of what is the evidential basis for the indictment."
The extradition process will begin if Minister of Justice and Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne issues an authority to proceed to a resident magistrate who will in turn issue an arrest warrant for Coke, who the US government is seeking to extradite.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has nothing to do with the process as was previously reported.
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Assalamu alay kum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu (Peace, mercy and blessings be upon you)
It is funny in the 1990's in the USA TODAY magazine front page it read the men that introduced crack in to the USA., they were blaming YARD MAN. No jamaican prime minister have the balls to extradite any foreighner here. What about the half that has never been told we cant try him in jamaica.
YEAH rude bwoy the the greatest handicap of the so- called Negro is that he has no love for self and kind. Self hate is the order of the day, our love and unity if we had it, would solve 90 per cent of our problem, love and unity is more powerful than any atomic bomb. The man that sell you the gun and the drugs is just as bad as you who pull the trigger , and poison your people.
Mi bredda di man who pull di trigga worse. What ur trying is say is that our people (blacks) are just brainless zombies goin aroun di place. Acceptance of responsibility is the first sign of progress. Guess thats y black countries will always be where they are
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FORMER President - F.A.A.B.A.C.B(Fans Association Against the Baseless Attack on Captain Burrel)
'Tread carefully' - Law professor warns that 'Dudus' case has consequences
Published: Thursday | September 3, 2009
United States law-enforcement authorities are keeping a close watch on Jamaica as local justice officials react to a request for the extradition of reputed Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
Other than a confirmation that the request for an extradition has been received, there has been no word from local authorities, including justice minister Dorothy Lightbourne, who is believed to have the request on her desk.
However, attorney-at-law and University of Miami professor, David Rowe, is cautioning the Bruce Golding administration to tread carefully as it addresses the request.
"There is a committee in the US Department of Justice that monitors these proceedings and watches for instances of obstruction of justice," Rowe told The Gleaner yesterday.
Rowe said that the US obstruction-of-justice statute had extra-territorial impact and could be used against any individual in Jamaica believed to be attempting to interfere in a judicial proceeding.
According to Rowe, the indictment against Coke could lead to other probes against individuals in Jamaica who might have been involved in criminal activity.
"I expect that Jamaica could soon be asked to extradite other high-profile figures, particularly in relation to a wharf, which is mentioned in the indictment," Rowe said.
"I believe the Grand Jury is enquiring into the wharf and the operation of Tivoli Gardens as a garrison, particularly in the post-2007 period."
Illegal importing
In the nine-page indictment, US authorities allege that Coke provided guns to criminals after importing the weapons illegally through a wharf located adjacent to Tivoli Gardens.
The indictment describes the west Kingston community as "a barricaded neighbourhood guarded by a group of gunmen".
It further claims that from at least in or about 1994, members of Coke's organisation have been involved in drug trafficking in the New York area, Kingston, Jamaica and elsewhere.
In addition, the indictment lists dates on which Coke and his co-conspirators allegedly discussed the movement or sale of illegal drugs and firearms.
The US authorities also make it clear in the indictment that they would be going after Coke's assets if he is convicted.
However, the attorney representing Coke is downplaying the significance of the allegations contained in the indictment.
"We are not worried about it," Tom Tavares-Finson told The Gleaner on Tuesday, as details of the indictment were made public.
According to Tavares-Finson, Coke "has been his usual self - quiet and contemplative" - since the US Attorney, Southern District of New York, sent papers to Jamaica asking that he be sent to the US to stand trial.
"The press release, which was issued by the United States Attorney, Southern District of New York, at a time when it is understood that the Government of Jamaica is considering an extradition request, is clearly meant to prejudice the proceedings," Tavares-Finson said.
"His designation as a drug kingpin is obviously done with the same intention in mind. Show me the evidence. An indictment can be drafted by anyone. I need to see what the evidence is."
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Originally Posted By: Jagga
'Tread carefully' - Law professor warns that 'Dudus' case has consequences
Published: Thursday | September 3, 2009
United States law-enforcement authorities are keeping a close watch on Jamaica as local justice officials react to a request for the extradition of reputed Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
Other than a confirmation that the request for an extradition has been received, there has been no word from local authorities, including justice minister Dorothy Lightbourne, who is believed to have the request on her desk.
However, attorney-at-law and University of Miami professor, David Rowe, is cautioning the Bruce Golding administration to tread carefully as it addresses the request.
"There is a committee in the US Department of Justice that monitors these proceedings and watches for instances of obstruction of justice," Rowe told The Gleaner yesterday.
Rowe said that the US obstruction-of-justice statute had extra-territorial impact and could be used against any individual in Jamaica believed to be attempting to interfere in a judicial proceeding.
According to Rowe, the indictment against Coke could lead to other probes against individuals in Jamaica who might have been involved in criminal activity.
"I expect that Jamaica could soon be asked to extradite other high-profile figures, particularly in relation to a wharf, which is mentioned in the indictment," Rowe said.
"I believe the Grand Jury is enquiring into the wharf and the operation of Tivoli Gardens as a garrison, particularly in the post-2007 period."
Illegal importing
In the nine-page indictment, US authorities allege that Coke provided guns to criminals after importing the weapons illegally through a wharf located adjacent to Tivoli Gardens.
The indictment describes the west Kingston community as "a barricaded neighbourhood guarded by a group of gunmen".
It further claims that from at least in or about 1994, members of Coke's organisation have been involved in drug trafficking in the New York area, Kingston, Jamaica and elsewhere.
In addition, the indictment lists dates on which Coke and his co-conspirators allegedly discussed the movement or sale of illegal drugs and firearms.
The US authorities also make it clear in the indictment that they would be going after Coke's assets if he is convicted.
However, the attorney representing Coke is downplaying the significance of the allegations contained in the indictment.
"We are not worried about it," Tom Tavares-Finson told The Gleaner on Tuesday, as details of the indictment were made public.
According to Tavares-Finson, Coke "has been his usual self - quiet and contemplative" - since the US Attorney, Southern District of New York, sent papers to Jamaica asking that he be sent to the US to stand trial.
"The press release, which was issued by the United States Attorney, Southern District of New York, at a time when it is understood that the Government of Jamaica is considering an extradition request, is clearly meant to prejudice the proceedings," Tavares-Finson said.
"His designation as a drug kingpin is obviously done with the same intention in mind. Show me the evidence. An indictment can be drafted by anyone. I need to see what the evidence is."
Walking down the road with a pistol in your waist Johnny you too bad, oh ooooh
One of these days You will hear a voice say come Where you gonna run to Oh ooooh
Gonna run to the Rock for rescue There will be no Rock Oh oooooh
..............
Do not humiliate Ja like this, please We all know about the guns and garrison in Ja Most of us will like to see the end of it
Useless, corrupt, inept Jakan officials at it again Most deserve to get bagged too This is a very exciting time in Jakan history.
YEAH rude bwoy the the greatest handicap of the so- called Negro is that he has no love for self and kind. Self hate is the order of the day, our love and unity if we had it, would solve 90 per cent of our problem, love and unity is more powerful than any atomic bomb. The man that sell you the gun and the drugs is just as bad as you who pull the trigger , and poison your people.
Yeah, but at the same time they are not pulling the trigger on the "White Man" they are killing their own kind. So, I would say if he does the crime he should do the time. You cannot defend someone regardless, who sell or buy guns to kill their own people.
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"Go tell it on the Mountain!"
Actually, I wish the DEA would go to Jamaica and take all the Dons - cleanse the island of it's misery. While they are at it, just take all the gunmen, drugmen, murderers and all the likes.
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"Go tell it on the Mountain!"
