Crackdown in Kingston

Jamaican police and military are hounding one of the most wanted drug dealers on earth, Christopher ‘Dudas’ Coke. After initially resisting call for his capture, three days ago Prime Minister Bruce Golding gave in to pressure from the United States, and ordered his capture for extradition on drug trafficking charges. He is widely known to operate an extensive drug network in New York City. As law enforcement approached the Tivoli neighborhood that is Coke’s base of operations last weekend his henchmen barricaded the streets and armed. Placards declared, “After God, then Dudas.”

A state of emergency has now been declared. In the violence now weltering parts of the capital three officers are reported killed, six more wounded. Civilian deaths may number in the teens, but media reports are not providing more specific figures. The fighting has also interrupted access to the international airport at times, and the State Department has asked Americans not to visit the island.

Coke is a bit of a Pablo Escobar—he is widely admired on his home turf for funding the local community and for “looking out” for his people. His political connections are also becoming more apparent. The Jamaica Labour Party reportedly has a tight relationship with Coke, and Prime Minister Golding has been known to rely on Coke to help win votes across western Kingston. Coke has received millions in government contracts for his “consulting” firm in recent years. Even those who aren’t supporters see Coke as a “stabilizing force.” Is Jamaica a narco-democracy?