With the recent violence in Jamaica and the controversy
over alleged drug lord, Christopher “Dudus” Coke, many
people are talking about the infamous Jamaican Shower Posse
and the neighborhood of Tivoli Gardens, where they have
their base. What is being is being ignored largely by
the media, is the role that the American government and
the CIA had in training, arming and giving
power to the Shower Posse.
It is interesting that the USA is indicting Christopher “Dudus”
Coke, the current leader of the Shower Posse for drug
and gun trafficking, given that the CIA was accused of
smuggling guns into Jamaica and facilitating the cocaine
trade from Jamaica to America in the 70s and 80s. In many
ways Dudus was only carrying on a tradition of political
corruption, drug running, guns and violence that was started
with the help of the CIA.
Christopher “Dudus” Coke’s father was was Lester Coke,
also known as Jim Brown, one of the founders of the
Shower Posse and a fellow champion and protector of
the impoverished Tivoli Gardens neighborhood in Kingston.
Coke was a political enforcer and bodyguard to Edward
Seaga, the leader of the Jamaican Labour Party.
Seaga’s opponent Michael Manley had begun to adopt “socialist”
stances and began openly criticizing American foreign
policies and meeting with U.S. enemy, Fidel Castro, in the
1970s. Given the cold war the US was having with Russia,
the CIA did not want Jamaica to be friendly with communists.
According to Gary Webb’s book,”The Dark Alliance,” Norman
Descoteaux, the CIA station chief in Jamaica began a
destabilization program of the Manley government in late
70s. Part of that plan was assassinations, money for
the Jamaican Labour Party, labor unrest, bribery and
shipping weapons to Manley’s opponents, like Lester
“Jim Brown” Coke.
Author, Daurius Figueira writes in his book, “Cocaine
And Heroin Trafficking In The Caribbean,” “In fact,
it meant that illicit drug runners linked to the JLP
were integrated into a CIA linked illicit drugs guns
and criminal trafficking pipeline”
One of Lester Coke’s associates, Cecil Connor, would
claim that he was trained by the CIA to fight political
wars for the JLP through killing and spying. Connor
would stuff ballot boxes and intimidate voters to help
the JLP win elections. Connor would go on from being
a political thug to being part of the international
Jamaican based cocaine ring known as the Shower Posse.
He wound up testifying against Lester Coke and his
cohort Vivian Blake, only to return to his native St.
Kitts to become a drug kingpin who almost held
the country hostage.
Christopher “Dudus” Coke’s father, Lester Coke has
also been accused of working with the CIA. Timothy
White speculates, in his biography of Bob Marley,
“Catch A Fire,” that Jim Brown was part of a team
of armed gunman that attempted to assassinate Bob
Marley led by JLP enforcer Carl “Byah” Mitchell.
Authors Laurie Gunst and Vivien Goldman also make
the same assertions in their books, “Born Fi Dead”
and “The Book Of Exodus.” Marley’s manager Don Taylor
claims that one of arley’s attackers was captured and
admitted that the CIA had agreed to pay him in cocaine
and guns to kill Marley.
Lester Coke would later be burned to death in a
Jamaican jail cell, while awaiting extradition the
the United States. Many people have claimed that
he was killed so he wouldn’t reveal and secrets
dealing with the CIA, JLP and criminal activity.
In its efforts to destabilize the Jamaican government
in the 1970s, the CIA created a group of drug dealing,
gun running, political criminals. Through the
cocaine trade, these criminals would eventually
become more powerful than the politicians they
were connected too. The CIA destabilization program
did not only destabilize Jamaica in the 70s, but it
destabilized Jamaica for the next 40 years.
Given the secrecy of both CIA and Jamaican society,
it is unclear exactly what was the CIA’s role in
creating the Shower Posse. Did they give them guns?
Were they given cocaine? Were they trained how to smuggle
drugs? Did the CIA use the Shower Posse to try and kill
Bob Marley? These are all questions that the CIA should answer.
If what is alleged about the CIA is true, then they
are partially responsible for the cycle of gun trafficking,
gun smuggling and violence that plagues Jamaica today. If the US
an extradite the son of one of the CIA’s political enforcers
for trafficking guns and cocaine, shouldn’t the CIA be
investigated for training Jamaicans on how to conduct
political warfare, arming them, giving them cocaine and
helping them traffic it? Given the revelation that the
CIA allowed Nicaraguan drug dealers to sell cocaine in
the US to fund their revolution against their communist
government, it is not that far fetched to believe that
they would arm Jamaicans to with guns and give them
cocaine to fight communists in Jamaica.
over alleged drug lord, Christopher “Dudus” Coke, many
people are talking about the infamous Jamaican Shower Posse
and the neighborhood of Tivoli Gardens, where they have
their base. What is being is being ignored largely by
the media, is the role that the American government and
the CIA had in training, arming and giving
power to the Shower Posse.
It is interesting that the USA is indicting Christopher “Dudus”
Coke, the current leader of the Shower Posse for drug
and gun trafficking, given that the CIA was accused of
smuggling guns into Jamaica and facilitating the cocaine
trade from Jamaica to America in the 70s and 80s. In many
ways Dudus was only carrying on a tradition of political
corruption, drug running, guns and violence that was started
with the help of the CIA.
Christopher “Dudus” Coke’s father was was Lester Coke,
also known as Jim Brown, one of the founders of the
Shower Posse and a fellow champion and protector of
the impoverished Tivoli Gardens neighborhood in Kingston.
Coke was a political enforcer and bodyguard to Edward
Seaga, the leader of the Jamaican Labour Party.
Seaga’s opponent Michael Manley had begun to adopt “socialist”
stances and began openly criticizing American foreign
policies and meeting with U.S. enemy, Fidel Castro, in the
1970s. Given the cold war the US was having with Russia,
the CIA did not want Jamaica to be friendly with communists.
According to Gary Webb’s book,”The Dark Alliance,” Norman
Descoteaux, the CIA station chief in Jamaica began a
destabilization program of the Manley government in late
70s. Part of that plan was assassinations, money for
the Jamaican Labour Party, labor unrest, bribery and
shipping weapons to Manley’s opponents, like Lester
“Jim Brown” Coke.
Author, Daurius Figueira writes in his book, “Cocaine
And Heroin Trafficking In The Caribbean,” “In fact,
it meant that illicit drug runners linked to the JLP
were integrated into a CIA linked illicit drugs guns
and criminal trafficking pipeline”
One of Lester Coke’s associates, Cecil Connor, would
claim that he was trained by the CIA to fight political
wars for the JLP through killing and spying. Connor
would stuff ballot boxes and intimidate voters to help
the JLP win elections. Connor would go on from being
a political thug to being part of the international
Jamaican based cocaine ring known as the Shower Posse.
He wound up testifying against Lester Coke and his
cohort Vivian Blake, only to return to his native St.
Kitts to become a drug kingpin who almost held
the country hostage.
Christopher “Dudus” Coke’s father, Lester Coke has
also been accused of working with the CIA. Timothy
White speculates, in his biography of Bob Marley,
“Catch A Fire,” that Jim Brown was part of a team
of armed gunman that attempted to assassinate Bob
Marley led by JLP enforcer Carl “Byah” Mitchell.
Authors Laurie Gunst and Vivien Goldman also make
the same assertions in their books, “Born Fi Dead”
and “The Book Of Exodus.” Marley’s manager Don Taylor
claims that one of arley’s attackers was captured and
admitted that the CIA had agreed to pay him in cocaine
and guns to kill Marley.
Lester Coke would later be burned to death in a
Jamaican jail cell, while awaiting extradition the
the United States. Many people have claimed that
he was killed so he wouldn’t reveal and secrets
dealing with the CIA, JLP and criminal activity.
In its efforts to destabilize the Jamaican government
in the 1970s, the CIA created a group of drug dealing,
gun running, political criminals. Through the
cocaine trade, these criminals would eventually
become more powerful than the politicians they
were connected too. The CIA destabilization program
did not only destabilize Jamaica in the 70s, but it
destabilized Jamaica for the next 40 years.
Given the secrecy of both CIA and Jamaican society,
it is unclear exactly what was the CIA’s role in
creating the Shower Posse. Did they give them guns?
Were they given cocaine? Were they trained how to smuggle
drugs? Did the CIA use the Shower Posse to try and kill
Bob Marley? These are all questions that the CIA should answer.
If what is alleged about the CIA is true, then they
are partially responsible for the cycle of gun trafficking,
gun smuggling and violence that plagues Jamaica today. If the US
an extradite the son of one of the CIA’s political enforcers
for trafficking guns and cocaine, shouldn’t the CIA be
investigated for training Jamaicans on how to conduct
political warfare, arming them, giving them cocaine and
helping them traffic it? Given the revelation that the
CIA allowed Nicaraguan drug dealers to sell cocaine in
the US to fund their revolution against their communist
government, it is not that far fetched to believe that
they would arm Jamaicans to with guns and give them
cocaine to fight communists in Jamaica.
