Ab-Titchaz
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- Jan 30, 2008
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In this June 24, 2010 file photo, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents bring Jamaican drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke from the Westchester County Airport to a waiting vehicle, in White Plains, N.Y. Coke, who pleaded guilty to U.S. charges of drug and gun trafficking, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison Friday, June 8, 2012 in federal court in Manhattan.
Christopher "Dudus" Coke, leader of an international criminal organization known as the "Shower Posse" or the "Presidential Click," had pleaded guilty in August to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of "conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering."
"From his home base in Jamaica, Christopher Coke presided over an international drug and weapons trafficking organization that he controlled through violence and intimidation for nearly two decades; enlisting an army of 'soldiers' to do his bidding," New York U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement today. "With his conviction, he is no longer able to traffic drugs in the U.S., move guns across our border, or terrorize people, and with today's sentence; he will now spend a very long time in prison for his crimes."
Before his sentencing Coke had asked for leniency, citing the supposed "charitable deeds and social services" he provided to his home community.
Coke was a popular figure among many in the West Kingston slums because of the money he spread around, allegedly the profits from his international drug operation. When the Jamaican government announced that it would cooperate with the U.S. and attempt to capture him in 2010, the communities allied to Coke began non-violent protests, then fortified their neighborhood with sandbags, threw up road blocks, installed improvised explosive devices and electrified fencing, all in an effort to block Coke's arrest.
A bloody war between local security forces and Coke's gun-toting supporters in the west Kingston neighborhood of Tivoli Gardens lasted a full month and killed scores of Jamaicans, including security officers.
A popular local preacher managed to arrange Coke's peaceful surrender to authorities on June 22, 2010. At the time of his surrender, Coke said that he chose to accept extradition rather than watch the bloodshed in Jamaica continue.
Jamaican Drug Lord Christopher 'Dudus' Coke Gets 23 Years - Yahoo! News