Jamaican drug kingpin sought
2010-05-27 18:27
Kingston - A military raid to capture an alleged drug kingpin has left 44 civilians dead in Kingston, according to Jamaican authorities, but the target of the mission may have slipped through their fingers.
Security forces have seized more than 500 people but not the man they were seeking - local don Christopher "Dudus" Coke, who has set up a virtual mini-economy in slums a world away from Jamaica's famous beaches.
Information Minister Daryl Vaz said Coke's whereabouts were unclear and declined to comment even on whether authorities were certain he was still in Jamaica.
Calm returned to much of the capital Kingston late on Wednesday after a three-day assault, but bullets and the occasional body littered impoverished areas where soldiers systematically searched and detained those who dared pass through.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding ordered an assault to capture Coke on Sunday after months of hesitation on an extradition request from the United States, which accuses Coke's "Shower Posse" of funnelling drugs to the US East Coast.
Golding has pledged to undo Kingston's reputation as one of the world's murder capitals, but also ordered an inspection of conditions amid fears of a heavy toll on bystanders.
Schools remain closed
The public defender, Earl Witter, and ombudsman, Hero Blair, said they counted the bodies of 44 civilians after a tour of Coke's Tivoli Gardens stronghold.
Police had said on Tuesday that 26 residents and one soldier were killed in the operation, though hospital staff spoke of dozens of bodies coming in.
Police have also reported the deaths of two policemen and several civilians in other parts of Kingston.
Vaz, the information minister, said that downtown businesses near the slum area would reopen on Thursday but schools would remain closed. Witter meanwhile told reporters it was like Tivoli were living in a war zone and said residents were treated with no respect.
"Many of those people have not eaten since Sunday," he said, adding that the residents he saw on his visit were mostly women and young children.
Residents were not allowed to leave their houses "not even to use toilets," Witter added.
Police spokesperson Karl Angell said security forces had seized control over all tall buildings in the area but were combing door to door to search for wanted criminals.
The Jamaican Red Cross, which accompanied officials on the earlier tour of Tivoli Gardens, said it would deliver food into the area to meet residents' needs.
