Christopher Coke
Encyclopedia
Michael Christopher Coke (born 13 March 1969), also known as Dudus, is a Jamaica
n drug lord
and the leader of the Shower Posse
gang
. He is the son of drug lord Lester Lloyd Coke. Until his hand over to US
forces on 24 June 2010, he served as the informal leader of Tivoli Gardens
in Western Kingston
.
The son of a prominent drug lord, Coke grew up wealthy, going to school with children of the country's political elite. At the age of 22, however, the death of his father and his older brother left him in charge of the Shower Posse. Ruling the gang where his father left off, he became a leader in the community of Tivoli Gardens
, distributing money to the area's poor, creating employment and setting up community centers.
In 2009 the United States began requesting his extradition
and in May 2010 the Government of Jamaica issued a warrant for Coke's arrest. As a result the city of Kingston was placed under a state of emergency
and the police and military launched an operation aimed at taking Coke into custody. More than 70 people, police, civilians and supporters of Coke have died since the government agreed to his extradition. Coke was arrested at a checkpoint on 22 June 2010.
of Coke from his native Jamaica.
Bruce Golding
, the prime minister of Jamaica and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, initially refused to extradite him, claiming that the United States had used warrantless wiretapping to gather evidence on Coke. This created tension both between the United States and Jamaica, and within Jamaica itself. On 17 May 2010, however, the Government of Jamaica issued a warrant for Coke's arrest, and Senator Tom Tavares-Finson withdrew as Coke's attorney on 18 May 2010 "in order to avoid conflict of interest
".
Following this news, Coke's supporters began protesting and arming themselves, and Kingston was placed under a state of emergency
after a series of shootings and firebombing
s within the city. On 24 May 2010, police and military forces launched a large-scale operation aimed at taking Coke into custody. By 27 May, at least 73 people had died in clashes between Jamaican security forces and gunmen in West Kingston. This casualty toll has climbed to a confirmed number of 76 dead victims.
priest
Reverend Al Miller was also detained while attempting to facilitate the surrender. Miller told police Coke feared for his life if he surrendered directly to the police, and was asked by Coke to facilitate his surrender. Miller also facilitated the surrender of Coke's brother one month earlier.
Coke voluntarily waived his right to an extradition
trial so that he could be taken to the US to be tried. Coke's father died in a mysterious prison fire while awaiting an extradition trial. Awaiting extradition, Coke was held under heavy guard out of concern that his supporters might attack.
Coke indicated that his decision to surrender and face charges was based on a desire to end the violence in Jamaica, saying :
on charges of drug and weapons trafficking, and initially plead not guilty to charges of running a massive drug gang.
However, in August 2011, he pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering in the United States. He will be sentenced December 8, 2011 and faces a maximum of 23 years in federal prison.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
and the leader of the Shower Posse
Shower Posse
The Shower Posse is a Jamaican posse which is involved with drug and arms smuggling. Its home is in Tivoli Gardens in Jamaica, but it primarily operates in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania, where it is one of the most powerful posses. There are differing reports on the origin of the...
gang
Jamaican Posse
Jamaican posses, often referred to simply as posses, are a loose coalition of gangs, based predominantly in Kingston, London, the New York City area and Toronto, Canada, first being involved in drugs and gun-running in the early 1980s...
. He is the son of drug lord Lester Lloyd Coke. Until his hand over to US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces on 24 June 2010, he served as the informal leader of Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens, Kingston
Tivoli Gardens, the political Garrison, is a West Kingston neighbourhood in Kingston, Jamaica. Tivoli Gardens has been the scene of confrontation between gunmen and security forces in 1997, 2001, 2005, 2008 and during the 2010 Kingston unrest. It is home to the alleged drug 'Don' Christopher Coke...
in Western Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
.
The son of a prominent drug lord, Coke grew up wealthy, going to school with children of the country's political elite. At the age of 22, however, the death of his father and his older brother left him in charge of the Shower Posse. Ruling the gang where his father left off, he became a leader in the community of Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens, Kingston
Tivoli Gardens, the political Garrison, is a West Kingston neighbourhood in Kingston, Jamaica. Tivoli Gardens has been the scene of confrontation between gunmen and security forces in 1997, 2001, 2005, 2008 and during the 2010 Kingston unrest. It is home to the alleged drug 'Don' Christopher Coke...
, distributing money to the area's poor, creating employment and setting up community centers.
In 2009 the United States began requesting his extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
and in May 2010 the Government of Jamaica issued a warrant for Coke's arrest. As a result the city of Kingston was placed under a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
and the police and military launched an operation aimed at taking Coke into custody. More than 70 people, police, civilians and supporters of Coke have died since the government agreed to his extradition. Coke was arrested at a checkpoint on 22 June 2010.
Extradition request and violence
In 2009 the United States began asking for the extraditionExtradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
of Coke from his native Jamaica.
Bruce Golding
Bruce Golding
Orette Bruce Golding MP served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party.-Biography:...
, the prime minister of Jamaica and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, initially refused to extradite him, claiming that the United States had used warrantless wiretapping to gather evidence on Coke. This created tension both between the United States and Jamaica, and within Jamaica itself. On 17 May 2010, however, the Government of Jamaica issued a warrant for Coke's arrest, and Senator Tom Tavares-Finson withdrew as Coke's attorney on 18 May 2010 "in order to avoid conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
".
Following this news, Coke's supporters began protesting and arming themselves, and Kingston was placed under a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
after a series of shootings and firebombing
Firebombing
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs....
s within the city. On 24 May 2010, police and military forces launched a large-scale operation aimed at taking Coke into custody. By 27 May, at least 73 people had died in clashes between Jamaican security forces and gunmen in West Kingston. This casualty toll has climbed to a confirmed number of 76 dead victims.
Capture
Coke was detained during a routine roadblock while attempting to surrender himself to the United States Embassy in Kingston, possibly while disguised as a woman, wearing a woman's wig and in possession of a second wig with pink hair and a pair of women's sunglasses. The influential evangelicalEvangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Reverend Al Miller was also detained while attempting to facilitate the surrender. Miller told police Coke feared for his life if he surrendered directly to the police, and was asked by Coke to facilitate his surrender. Miller also facilitated the surrender of Coke's brother one month earlier.
Coke voluntarily waived his right to an extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
trial so that he could be taken to the US to be tried. Coke's father died in a mysterious prison fire while awaiting an extradition trial. Awaiting extradition, Coke was held under heavy guard out of concern that his supporters might attack.
Coke indicated that his decision to surrender and face charges was based on a desire to end the violence in Jamaica, saying :
"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."
Trial
Coke was tried in the U.S. state of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on charges of drug and weapons trafficking, and initially plead not guilty to charges of running a massive drug gang.
However, in August 2011, he pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering in the United States. He will be sentenced December 8, 2011 and faces a maximum of 23 years in federal prison.
See also
- Claude MassopClaude Massop-Early life: Famed gang leader and strongman of the Jamaica Labour Party political faction belonging to Tivoli Gardens, Wellington Street, Rema and surrounding areas of West Kingston, Jamaica. Massop was the leader or head of a group of which would later be known as the infamous Shower Posse...
- Vivian BlakeVivian BlakeVivian Blake was a Jamaican drug kingpin who founded and operated the American operations of the Jamaican Shower Posse....
- Ranking DreadRanking DreadRanking Dread was a Jamaican reggae deejay who grew up in the Kingston ghettos of Rema and Tivoli. He became famous for his work with the Ray Symbolic sound system in the 1970s...
- Shower PosseShower PosseThe Shower Posse is a Jamaican posse which is involved with drug and arms smuggling. Its home is in Tivoli Gardens in Jamaica, but it primarily operates in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania, where it is one of the most powerful posses. There are differing reports on the origin of the...
External links
- Indictment of Christopher Coke
- Mary Vallis. "Police raids reveal links to powerful Jamaican Shower Posse gang" The National Post 4 May 2010.
- Denise Balkissoon. "Deadly Shower Posse gang has deep ties to Toronto by The Toronto Star 25 May 2010
- Critics: Rising Jamaican Death Toll Rooted in So-Called "War on Drugs" - video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...