Christopher Coke

Christopher Coke
Born
Christopher Michael Coke

(1969-03-13) 13 March 1969 (age 55)
Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica
Other namesDudus, Paul Christopher Scott, Presi, President, General, Shortman, Omar Clark[1]
OccupationHead of the Shower Posse
Criminal statusServing a 23-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix

Christopher Michael Coke, also known as Dudus[2] (born 13 March 1969),[1] is a convicted Jamaican drug lord and the leader of the Shower Posse, a violent drug gang started by his father Lester Coke in Jamaica, which exported "large quantities"[3] of marijuana and cocaine into the United States.

Due to their father's drug profits, Christopher and his siblings grew up amidst wealth and attended elite private schools. His sister and brother were killed in drug-related violence, in 1987 and 2004, respectively. Coke was gradually brought into his father's organization.

After his father died in 1992, Coke, at the age of 23, became the leader of the gang and the de facto authority of the Tivoli Gardens community in West Kingston. He developed community programs to help the poor and had so much local support that Jamaican police were unable to enter this neighborhood without community consent.[2]

Coke was arrested on drug charges and extradited to the United States in 2010. His arrest had provoked violence among Coke's supporters in West Kingston[4][5]. In 2011, Coke pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges in connection with drug trafficking and assault[6]. On 8 June 2012, he was sentenced by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to 23 years in federal prison.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b "Who is 'Dudus'?". The Jamaica Gleaner. 24 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b Schwartz, Mattathias (12 December 2011), "A Massacre in Jamaica", The New Yorker, pp. 62–71, retrieved 26 December 2011
  3. ^ Goldstein, Joseph (31 August 2011). "Christopher Coke Pleads Guilty in New York". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Jamaican 'drug lord' Christopher 'Dudus' Coke arrested". BBC News. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Dudus: Christopher Coke Captured in Jamaica". ABC News. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  6. ^ McGreal, Chris (1 September 2011). "Christopher 'Dudus' Coke tells US court: 'I'm pleading guilty because I am'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  7. ^ Debucquoy-Dodley, Dominique (8 June 2012). "Jamaican drug lord sentenced to 23 years". CNN. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  8. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (8 June 2012). "Jamaican Drug Lord Gets Maximum Term". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 June 2024.