Op-Ed: David Rowe on the End of the Line for Christopher Coke

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - September 1, 2011

By David P Rowe
Op-Ed Contributor

Christopher Coke is a violent, politically affiliated Jamaican drug lord who was arrested while disguised as a woman in the company of a friendly pastor. Yesterday, Mr Coke struck a plea bargain with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, on the eve of a major trial that would have exposed him to life in prison without parole.

This relatively sudden legal development occurred after Judge Robert Patterson denied a Motion to Suppress Evidence, which Coke had filed to prevent tapes of telephone conversations between himself and co-conspirators from being admitted into evidence in his upcoming racketeering trial.

Prosecutors intended to prove that Coke was the head of a massive drug ring known as the Shower Posse or the “Presidential Click.”

Evidence in this case indicates that Coke tied one of his narco-victims down and sawed him in half with a chainsaw while he was still alive. Coke was also implicated in at least five murders in Jamaica while administering discipline in his Jamaican Shower Posse empire.

In his plea agreement with the United States government, Coke admits to trying to ship 3,000 kilograms of marijuana and 15 kilograms of cocaine to the United States between 1999 and June of 2010.

He also admitted to ordering the assault of a Bronx drug dealer in 2007 who owed money to one of his Shower Posse connections. Coke ordered that the Bronx drug dealer be stabbed in the face, according to court documents.

The United States Attorney’s Office planned to prove at trial that Coke could obtain firearms from the United States and distribute them in Kingston’s Tivoli Gardens community. Prosecutors referred to a system which outlined the method of the operation of the Presidential Click.

According to prosecutors, the Click consisted of soldiers who would guard stash houses within or without Tivoli Gardens, defend the neighbourhood against rival communities, and motivate members of surrounding communities to support particular political candidates by intimidation. Shower Posse soldiers were paid a regular salary by Christopher Coke and his lieutenants.

The prosecutor outlined Christopher Coke’s violent conduct and explained the factual basis for the reputation for violence that the Shower Posse exhibited. The government also intended to establish that Coke used numerous female couriers to transport cocaine from Kingston to locations including New York and Miami.

The couriers would travel by plane after swallowing the cocaine, or more often, inserting it into their bodies. All of the government’s witnesses were prepared to establish that Coke’s conspiracy was achieved through violence, extortion and drug trafficking.

What are the potential political consequences in Jamaica for Christopher Coke’s plea? In the eyes of many, the Jamaica Labour Party and Tivoli Gardens have always been identified together, and this result is therefore a black eye for the party.

In the wake of the Coke development, it is possible that the JLP could be scrutinized for some of its relationships.

Hopefully the wording and the content of the United States’s Motion in Limine in the Coke case will be debated in the Jamaican Parliament towards the goal of ensuring that the administration of government is always kept separate from less wholesome elements in society.

David P Rowe is an attorney in Florida and Jamaica and a professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law.

 

 

 

 

Note: the opinions expressed in Caribbean Journal op-eds are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Caribbean Journal.

Popular Posts w punta cana

A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Related Posts mexico allegiant

Allegiant Plans Mexico Expansion

By the Caribbean Journal staff Leisure carrier Allegiant has big plans in Mexico. The company, which specializes in connecting small-to-medium cities to vacation hotspots, has filed an application with the United States Department of Transportation to offer scheduled flights to […]


Caribbean Forecasting Strong Tourism Growth in 2019

caribbean growth 2019

By the Caribbean Journal staff The Caribbean region is projecting strong tourism growth in 2019, regional tourism officials said this week. The Caribbean Tourism Organization is forecasting arrival growth of between 6 and 7 percent this year, continuing what it […]


Saint Lucia Tourism Just Set Another Visitor Record

caribbean upbeat tourism

By the Caribbean Journal staff Saint Lucia’s tourism industry had another record-setting year in 2018, according to a new report from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. The destination reported a total of 1,218,294 visitors in 2018, a 10.2 percent increase […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You