Coke faces judge

AN EXTRADITION hearing is scheduled to begin today for Jamaica's most notorious fugitive, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, a mere 42 hours after the alleged crime overlord was taken into custody by the police.

A resident magistrate will at 10 a.m. hold court at a maximum-security facility - the Mobile Reserve headquarters at Harman Barracks on South Camp Road in St Andrew - presiding, arguably, over the country's most publicised extradition case involving the man known to many as 'The President'.

Yesterday, a top-level meeting involving United States officials, members of the Police High Command and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn was held at the DPP's office in Kingston.

Both the DPP and the police refused to divulge what was discussed.

However, it is believed that the deliberations centred on arrange-ments for the extradition court hearing today.

Coke was detained by the police on Mandela Highway on Tuesday while in the company of well-known preacher Al Miller, the director of the National Transformation Programme. The two were reportedly en route to the US Embassy, strengthening speculation that Coke was pushing to waive his right to fight the extradition request.

Miller confirmed in a Gleaner interview that the humbled west Kingston enforcer had indicated that he wanted to be taken to the US Embassy.

If extradited, Coke will face charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in firearms illegally.

On the narcotics charge, Coke would serve a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.

He also faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the gunrunning charge.

The US Department of Justice says Coke is listed as a consolidated priority organisation target, which includes the world's most dangerous narcotics kingpins.

Coke has been described by US authorities as the leader of the infamous Shower Posse, a gang whose tentacles stretch throughout North America.

Tuesday's apprehension of Coke ended a monthlong islandwide search by the security forces to execute an extradition warrant on him.

Coke had become the country's top fugitive after he escaped a massive dragnet by the security forces on May 24 in Tivoli Gardens.

The incursion by the security forces left one soldier and 73 civilians dead.

'He thought we were going to kill him.'