Jamaica-U.S. extradition row causes jitters

By Bert Wilkinson

Published: Thursday, April 8, 2010 5:05 PM EDT

Washington and Kingston have been trading diplomatic barbs over alleged delaying tactics by the Bruce Golding Administration relating to the American request for the extradition of a West Kingston strongman and alleged drug don Christopher ‘Dudus” Coke. Coke is widely known to run the underworld of the sometimes volatile Tivoli Gardens community that Golding represents in Parliament.

In the view of the U.S., Golding has been putting every conceivable obstacle in the way of having a local court hear the American request to send him north to face international drug trafficking charges including charges that the U.S. broke Jamaican law by illegally wiretapping Coke’s telephone conversations. Golding says Jamaican authorities were very upset at the illegal wiretapping of Coke’s telephone as it had breached local laws.

But in the past week, Golding has publicly said that his administration will allow the courts to rule on the matter and determine what should be the fate of Coke whose late father once headed the notorious Jamaican-led “Shower Posse” drug organization in the US. Evidence from wiretaps will be part of the key evidence in the case against the Jamaican don.

IIT'S ALLEGED THAT THE PRIME MINISTERS' SON DARREL VAZ IS WANTED BY THE U.S. ON CHARGES OF DRUG DISTRIBUTION N OTHER CRIMES. WONDER IF THIS IS NOT ONLY ABOUT PREZZY BRUCE, WAH REALLY A GWAAN?

MI HEAR SEH IS A POLICE MAN BUSS PON PREZZY N MERICA GIV HIM NEW IDENTITY N PLACE HIM IN A NEW HOME IN NORTH CAROLINA. DEM SEH BRUCE SEH IF HIM DON'T GET THE NAME OF THE POLICEMAN HIM NAH GIVE UP DUDUS.