Dudus heads back to court

Another pre-trial hearing will be held today for extradited alleged former west Kingston drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. The case will be heard in the federal district court in Manhattan, New York. Coke’s defence team has been reviewing material served by United States prosecutors at the last pre-trial hearing on February 11. Coke has been in US custody since June last year after waiving his right to an extradition hearing in Jamaica. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine, and conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms. If convicted on the narcotics charges, Coke faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, as well as a fine of up to US$4 million. If convicted on the firearms-trafficking charges, Coke faces a maximum five-year prison sentence. Coke was extradited to the US after a nine-month delay by Jamaica because of concerns about the legality of wiretap evidence used against him. (Jamaica Gleaner)