*BUJU UPDATE*...THE TAPES

Yesterday, as the tapes were being played, one woman could be seen clutching her head and covering her ears. Others sat attentively, captivated by the conversations between the four-time Grammy nominee and Johnson, a convicted drug trafficker who has been working with the US Government since 1996 to sink other narco dealers.

Also played for the court was the video recording of December 8, 2009 in which Banton was seen tasting cocaine from a knife given to him by his long-time friend Ian Thomas after he used it to cut open a package containing five kilogrammes of cocaine during an undercover operation by the Sarasota Police Department at a warehouse.Thomas was heard on the video saying that the cocaine was fish scale. Johnson later told the court that the term meant that the drug was of a high quality.

The prosecution then played the expletive-laced recordings, which were made between July and December and in which the 37-year-old Banton was heard telling Johnson, "I am about making money, straight up".

Banton was also heard asking Johnson if he had any contacts to acquire cocaine as he was willing to finance a deal. He also told Johnson that he did not have contacts in Venezuela and Panama, but that he was involved in smuggling diamonds from Africa to Europe.
He was also heard telling Johnson that: "It would be good to have our own contacts," and that he would like to start small, as "I don't want to take any risks".


"There are a lot of snitches in the game," Banton warned Johnson at one point, saying that it was hard for him to find anyone to trust.

In one conversation Banton was heard cursing and complaining to Johnson that the gay community, particularly the gay rights group GLAD (Gays and Lesbians Advocates and Defenders), was trying to ruin his career. Banton had been at odds with the gay community since the 1990s following the release of his anti-gay monster hit Boom Bye Bye. He was also heard complaining of being stressed out and said that he had 15 kids whose school fees needed to be paid.