KINGSTON, Jamaica – DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF Glenmore Hinds said security forces have found at least 73 dead bodies related to the search for alleged drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
Speaking to The Jamaica Gleaner, Hinds also revealed that three security officers were killed in the clash, which began Monday, May 24 after an arrest warrant was issued for Coke.
Information Minister Daryl Vaz explained that authorities were trying to identify the dead bodies, but noted that most of them were young men, some of whom were suspected of being armed.
Although Jamaican authorities claim to have recaptured Coke’s Tivoli Gardens stronghold, the alleged drug kingpin is yet to be found and many citizens suspect he may have already fled the county.
The trouble started last week when Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced that he was prepared to hand over Coke to US authorities on drugs and weapons trafficking charges. He had previously denied the extradition request on the grounds that the US indictment relied on illegal wiretap evidence.
Supporters of Coke immediately began barricading streets in the West Kingston district over the weekend and attacked several police stations in the Jamaican capital.
A state of emergency was subsequently declared in some parts of Kingston, with security forces preparing for Monday’s assault. Thousands of police officers and soldiers stormed the barricades in their door-to-door search for Coke, but were met with resistance by armed residents of that area.
Coke is revered by many in the Kingston slums, who say he has helped them with food and clothing, and has enabled their children to attend school.
However, the US Justice Department has classified Coke as one of the world’s most dangerous drug barons. He is also suspected of leading a gang known as the Shower Posse which is responsible for numerous murders in Jamaica and the US.
Coke faces a life sentence if convicted of the charges.
The Jamaica Observer reported that over 500 persons, including 20 juveniles, have been arrested since Monday, and Hinds confirmed that security forces had confiscated one firearm.
Residents of Tivoli Gardens have accused the government of human rights abuses and claimed that police had fired indiscriminately and killed many innocent people.
