DUDUS BACK IN COURT

Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter

Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the Jamaican who United States prosecutors have labelled an international drug lord, returns to a New York court today for a pretrial hearing.

Coke, who is facing charges of drug- and gunrunning, will appear in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York where it is expected that the judge, Robert Patterson, will set a date for his trial.

It is expected that the trial will begin in the first quarter of next year.

Yesterday, his attorney, Steve Zissou, told The Gleaner that Coke remains in solitary confinement, where he has been held since he was extradited to the US.

Zissou said Coke remains “very strong” despite being in custody since June when he first appeared in a US court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Zissou, who is now involved in the defence of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the man charged with the 1988 bombings of two US embassies in Africa, told The Gleaner that he was somewhat satisfied with the disclosures he had received from the prosecution.

Coke, the former leader of the Jamaica Labour Party-controlled enclave of Tivoli Gardens, is charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine, and conspiracy to traffic in firearms illegally.

If convicted on the narcotics charges, he 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.

If convicted on the firearms-trafficking charges, Coke faces a maximum five-year prison sentence.

Coke was extradited to the US after an almost yearlong wrangle between Jamaican and American authorities over the legality of wiretap evidence to be used against him.

After the protracted dispute, the Jamaica Government finally signed the extradition request leading to a bloody gun battle as members of the security forces moved into west Kingston to arrest Coke.

He escaped that dragnet but was held one month later, reportedly heading to the US Embassy to turn himself in to American authorities.

The reputed drug kingpin waived his right to challenge his extradition request and was taken out of the country days after he was held.

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