Minister of Industry and Commerce Donville Inniss recently lamented the support that “drug lords” in Barbados receive from ordinary citizens. Where “drug lords” get their support should make us all pause, reflect and get real.
Christopher “Dudus” Coke was one of Jamaica’s biggest “drug lords” or “dons”. In the community he presided over, Tivoli Gardens, he was considered much more than that. In 2010, the Jamaican Government sent in armoured vehicles, soldiers and policemen with big guns to arrest Dudus.
The government gunmen were met with more than the firepower of Dudus’s own soldiers. Wailing women dressed in white took to the streets in protest, carrying placards which read slogans like, “After God, Dudus,” and “As Jesus died for us, we will die for Dudus”.
The love and loyalty Dudus commanded from gun-toting men and flag-waving women alike would be the envy of many would-be leaders of the people.
Where does this power come from? The typical illegal drug dealer has a business model that would make the average entrepreneur drool. But that can’t be all. Not everywhere illegal drugs are sold do drug sellers become lords. The title “drug lord” is reserved for individuals who gain wealth and power to rival the law of the land: politicians, the police and conventional business people. They rise when the conditions are right.
One of the most famous “drug lords” ever was Alphonso Gabriel “Al” Capone. He rose to power dealing one of the most destructive drugs
there is, alcohol. During the prohibition era in the United States, alcohol was made illegal.
This gave rise to a booming black market controlled by organised crime syndicates. The war against these “drug lords” was being lost until the ban on alcohol sales ended, destroying their control over the business.
“Drug lords” need prohibitive drug laws. The owners of Mount Gay and Cockspur would be “drug lords” in another time and place.
It is known that Al Capone was supported by Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson.
There is a traditional link between “drug lords” and politicians. Dudus’ community was represented in parliament by Jamaican PM Bruce Golding. Dudus ruled Tivoli Gardens for 18 years before a US request for his extradition on drug and firearm charges was made.
Golding is the one who sent the full power of Jamaica’s armed forces to extract this one man. Before this, it is known the police force used to have to gain Dudus’ permission to enter Tivoli. This same Jamaican Government had previously paid $50 000 to a US based lobbying firm to prevent Christopher “Dudus” Coke’s extradition to the US.
Dudus was apprehended while trying to make his way to the US embassy to surrender. His father, whom he succeeded as “don” of Tivoli, had mysteriously burned to death in a concrete Jamaican jail cell, while awaiting extradition to the US.
Dudus’ father was known to be a supporter of, and was supported by then Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga.
“Drug lords” are often under-lords to bigger lords. They fall when they get too big for their boots.
Brutality may gain power, but generosity helps to keep it stable. Both Dudus and Al Capone had the Robin Hood aura. Al Capone gave generously to charities. Dudus went further. He was a charity.
Dudus was the government in Tivoli Gardens. He was the people’s provider and protector where the politicians and police failed. He distributed money to the area’s poor, created employment, and set up community centres to help children and others.
In a situation where the Government seems powerless or unwilling to provide a safety net for the poor, or at least plug the holes in it, “drug lords” often step in to catch those who fall through. Dudus was not just a “drug lord” he was a community leader.
Look deeper. When faith in politicians is low, people don’t vote. Without votes, the backing of the people, politicians have no power. Community leaders can mobilise voters, even if for a fee or favours.
Power abhors a vacuum. Someone steps in to fill that space.
Around 40 per cent of Barbadians did not vote last time around.
There are many communities where “the don” is who people look to for justice, not the police or the courts. Police protection is viewed as a privilege of the wealthy. There are places where the people fear the police as much as the criminals.
Justice must be seen to be done in cases of police brutality.
An inefficient court system, aggressive policing without respect, restraint or civility, along with corruption, voter apathy, poverty, hopelessness and ill-conceived drug laws are pieces of a massive problem.
Business students know that a problem provides an opportunity to be exploited.
Are “drug lords” any different from the bankers who caused a global recession and suffering by exploiting the housing market and loopholes in the banking system? What about businesses that exploit a recession and use it as an excuse to raise profit through exploitative downsizing?
This is what some business people do. They abuse opportunities. Whether they do so solely for their own benefit or include the benefit of the public, depends on their ethics. Do the ethics of drug dealers reflect the ethics of the wider business community? Dudus was felt to take better care of his community than the average business person or politician. This was the root of his support.
Here is the irony. The drug lord has no legal means to protect his business; a business made possible by its illegality and the inefficiency of the system around him. Violence is his option. The system around him probably contributed to his violent and anti-social tendencies that serve him well in his chosen field.
If we want to root out “drug lords”, we need to get to the root. The “drug lord” himself is a River Tamarind branch. Cut him down and another one grows where he was, in no time. The seeds are in the soil.
Adrian Green is a communications specialist. [email protected]
