Salon.com > Jamaica

Alleged Jamaican drug lord won’t fight extradition to U.S.

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:40:00 +0000

The scion of a Jamaican gang family agreed Thursday to be extradited to New York, saying it was in his nation's best interests after clashes that killed 76 people.

Christopher "Dudus" Coke, whose supporters waged street battles with security forces last month in an attempt to prevent him from facing drug and weapons charges in the United States, waived his right to an extradition trial at his first appearance before a Jamaican judge.

Coke said he was deeply saddened by the lives lost in the fighting, which centered around his power base in the Tivoli Gardens slum. He said he hopes his decision will help Jamaica heal.

"I take this decision for I now believe it to be in the best interest of my family, the community of western Kingston and in particular the people of Tivoli Gardens and above all Jamaica," Coke said in a statement released to the news media, his first public comments since the U.S. requested his extradition in August.

Coke, 42, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. U.S. prosecutors say Coke, as leader of the notorious Shower Posse gang, has overseen large shipments of cocaine and marijuana to the eastern United States since the 1990s.

Jamaica: 74 killed in hunt for alleged drug lord

Thu, 27 May 2010 19:37:00 +0000

Security forces went door-to-door through a bullet-pocked Jamaican slum on Thursday and said at least 74 people were killed in four days of gunbattles as they searched for a reputed drug lord.

The target of the manhunt, Christopher "Dudus" Coke, was nowhere to be found.

"We are still searching for Mr. Coke," said Deputy Police Chief Glenmore Hinds. "Certainly we can't disclose where we are looking."

Hinds said police and soldiers have found 73 bodies, three of which were killed in incidents not related to the raid.

"The 73 bodies we're speaking about are all civilians," Hinds said. "But civilians are sometimes gunmen and gunwomen."

He confirmed three police officers were killed in the fighting, and the army earlier said a soldier was killed as well. Twenty-eight security forces were injured. Hinds denied claims by residents that police were burning some bodies.

Security forces were in control in Tivoli Gardens, the slum where Coke enjoys widespread support and is referred to as "president." They let residents move about freely beginning Thursday afternoon.

Sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the neighboring slum of Denham Town, where some streets remained barricaded by local gang members.

The U.S. track team loses its grip

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:25:00 +0000

The U.S. track and field team, apparently dazed and confused after being repeatedly humiliated by a team from a tiny country best known for reggae, ganja and rum running, lost its grip Thursday -- literally. In a hideous 30 minutes, first the men's 400-meter relay team, then the women's, bungled their final handoffs in their semifinal races with easy qualification in sight and were disqualified. Coming on top of U.S. failures in the 100 and 200 meters, Lolo Jones' heartbreaking mistake on the penultimate hurdle and numerous other bitter disappointments, it was a kick in the guts to the world's track powerhouse. Never before have both U.S. teams dropped the baton in the same Olympics.

It was a shocking display of ineptitude, and revealed the U.S. track and field team to be in serious meltdown. One drop is a nightmare, but forgivable; two can only be due to either poor coaching or unprepared athletes or both.

Naked nuptials

Thu, 08 Feb 2001 20:25:00 +0000

It won't be difficult to locate the wedding rings this Valentine's Day when eight couples tie the knot in the nude at Jamaica's Runaway Bay. This historic celebration, billed as the world's largest nude wedding, is being hosted by the racy Hedonism III resort -- famous for its four-story transparent water slide that cuts through the middle of a disco.

The Jamaican government, however, is not pleased with the marriage marketing scheme, calling it inappropriate and indecent. Portia Simpson Miller, minister of tourism and sport, released an official statement that said: "This type of activity is not in keeping with our marketing strategy for Jamaica." Miller told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, "It is not part of our policy to use public funds to pursue the particular niche market to which this event is targeted."

Sex belongs on the beach

Wed, 23 Aug 2000 19:36:00 +0000

Each year, thousands flock to Jamaica hoping to act out their sexual fantasies at uninhibited adult resorts with frisky names like Hedonism. But once out of range of clothing-optional tourists frolicking in the sand, the country's sexual perspective is much more strict. The education minister recently ordered all schools to remove a sexuality textbook that promotes the acceptance of homosexuality.

The book in question is titled "Preparing for the Vibes in the World Sexuality," and is used in about 40 schools throughout Jamaica. By including the sentence, "We need to accept our sexual orientation whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual," author Joseph Robinson has managed to enrage both politicians and religious groups, including leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. The book also describes specific sexual acts, but it's the gay stuff that's got everyone's panties in a bunch. According to a century-old law, homosexuality is still illegal in Jamaica.

One Catholic priest recently made Robinson's book the centerpiece of a sermon at St. Peter and Paul Church in Kingston. "They are saying that homosexuality is on the same level with heterosexuality," said Rev. Kenneth Mock Yen. "We cannot put this in schools."

Without a trace

Fri, 11 Aug 2000 19:00:00 +0000

You think of Jamaica. You think of swaying palm trees and seductive white beaches, the tympanic dance of steel drums and the lulling thump of reggae, the sweet spicy smell of jerk pork riding the air.

You think of Claudia Kirschhoch and a chill taps your spine.

Kirschhoch is the 29-year-old Frommer's Travel Guides editor who disappeared from the resort area of Negril, Jamaica, on May 27.

It's a baffling tale. Despite posting a reward offer of $50,000, about 20 times what an average Jamaican makes in a year, her parents, resort proprietors and police are apparently no closer today to finding Kirschhoch than they were on the morning of June 2. That's when employees at the resort where she was staying entered her room, after her parents had called worriedly looking for her, and found everything -- passport, plane tickets, wallet with cash and credit cards, camera, clothing, luggage, house keys -- still there, all except for her sunglasses, a portable radio and a bikini she had bought just before the trip.

Inna Heights

Thu, 12 Mar 1998 20:00:00 +0000

As Jamaica's reigning DJ/rapper, Buju Banton topped the reggae charts for more than two years with his genre-twisting third album, 1995's "Til Shiloh." Transformed from the X-rated rudebwoy who gained notoriety for his controversial anti-gay tune, "Boom Bye-Bye," Banton sprouted dreads, became a Rasta man and pumped positive, spiritually motivated messages into his dancehall songs.

Although he wasn't the first to fuse rough dancehall rhythms with the gentler sensibilities and harmonies of roots reggae -- Tony Rebel, Cocoa Tea and, most sweetly, the late Garnett Silk have all carved out careers with this technique -- no one has come close to Banton's star power or record sales. Earning more No. 1 singles than any other reggae artist in Jamaica (including Bob Marley), Banton has amassed a following in much the same way that the reggae legend did -- by drawing on his background as a poor street youth and turning it into a voice for the oppressed all over the world. Establishing himself as an international star, Banton has guided the whole reggae genre toward a more uplifting direction.