For those of you who don't check the local Jamaican news a couple times a day, all the headlines are reading "Dudus in custody". Christopher 'Dudus' Coke (don of Tivoli Gardens, alleged drug lord and the leader of the Shower Posse gang) is now in custody in Jamaica, just outside of Kingston. Actually, I stand corrected - I have now checked BBC and as it should, this news did make it onto the front page. I just turned on my computer to find the news myself, and I'm trying to figure out what this means, and what happens next. It hasn't been made entirely clear if he turned himself in, or was turned in, but it sounds like he went to the police willingly with a member of the Church (Reverend Al Miller). An article from the Jamaican Observer states that Rev Miller was going with Dudus to the United States Embassy when they were stopped at a police checkpoint and taken in. Apparently Dudus is willing to waive his rights to an extradition hearing. Since having Dudus in custody, 4pm curfews have been put in place in Kingston and the police are expecting criminal attacks. In another article in the Jamaican Observer, a release from the police states: "This upgrading of the threat level is based on intelligence suggesting that detained and displaced criminals as well as other criminals are planning attacks on security personnel and assets".
We'll have to wait and see if things get worse before they get better. Today, before this all happened, PM Golding was going before Parliment to seek an extension on the State of Emergency which was set to expire tomorrow. It sounds like some Jamaicans were hoping for the extension along with an expansion into additional neighbourhoods, while others say that there is no justification for the State of Emergency to continue since the original conditions that brought it about are now under control. I haven't been able to find a full article on the results, but did come across a statement that the State of Emergency has been extended to St. Catherine and will last for the next thirty days. Hopefully with Dudus likely having gone willingly into custody, there will not be a return to the level of violence from the end of May.
We'll have to wait and see if things get worse before they get better. Today, before this all happened, PM Golding was going before Parliment to seek an extension on the State of Emergency which was set to expire tomorrow. It sounds like some Jamaicans were hoping for the extension along with an expansion into additional neighbourhoods, while others say that there is no justification for the State of Emergency to continue since the original conditions that brought it about are now under control. I haven't been able to find a full article on the results, but did come across a statement that the State of Emergency has been extended to St. Catherine and will last for the next thirty days. Hopefully with Dudus likely having gone willingly into custody, there will not be a return to the level of violence from the end of May.
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