BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE lawyer of Jamaican Reggae artiste Buju Banton said that his client has lost 40 pounds since incarcerated in a US jail in December 2009.
Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. He is accused of participating with two associates in a drug deal in early December to buy cocaine from undercover federal agents in Sarasota.
According to yardflex.com, the attorney, David Markus, is citing health concerns and wants the Reggae star moved out of the Pinellas County Jail.
He filed an emergency motion for bond with the federal courts on Monday (March 22) and the hearing is set for Friday.
“The motion says Buju Banton, born Mark Myrie, has lost 40 pounds and not been provided with a diet in accordance with his religious view,” yardflex.com reported.
The 36-year-old Rastafarian, which is a religion that places importance on a vegetable and fruit based diet, was moved last Thursday from jail's general population area to a higher security section on punishment for giving his food to another inmate.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant Tom Nestor said, "The inmate handbook says you are not to be trading food or handing out food as food is considered currency."
And since the move, Banton's "physical and mental health has been rapidly deteriorating", his lawyer said.
Banton, who is in the United States on an entertainer’s visa, did not seek a bond when he was originally incarcerated because of his immigration status.
If awarded a bond, he will be immediately taken to an immigration detention facility.
The state’s two immigration detention facilities are in South Florida, some four hours from Tampa.
He would have to be transported back and forth by U.S. marshals for hearings at Tampa's federal courthouse, which his lawyer believes would be better for his health.
"We need him to be treated humanely," Markus said.
