I don't know...still lots of room for interpretation...
Worse case he could just be a coke head
Buju Banton faces drug conspiracy charges
- Thread starter Mr. Met
- Start date
I don't know...still lots of room for interpretation...
Worse case he could just be a coke head
Ok crew!!! This is what is going down.
Buju was returning from Ghana on tour. Cocaine [5kilos] was found on one of the guys in his entourage and the suspect implicated Buju. They are saying there was an intent to distribute the substance. Who tries to smuggle coke through airports in this new century? They shd have known better
A weak case against Buju if you ask me. Keys were not on him. Case shd be closed by now but u know they are looking for the Rastaman.
Buju was returning from Ghana on tour. Cocaine [5kilos] was found on one of the guys in his entourage and the suspect implicated Buju. They are saying there was an intent to distribute the substance. Who tries to smuggle coke through airports in this new century? They shd have known better
A weak case against Buju if you ask me. Keys were not on him. Case shd be closed by now but u know they are looking for the Rastaman.
Ok crew!!! This is what is going down.
Buju was returning from Ghana on tour. Cocaine [5kilos] was found on one of the guys in his entourage and the suspect implicated Buju. They are saying there was an intent to distribute the substance. Who tries to smuggle coke through airports in this new century? They shd have known better
A weak case against Buju if you ask me. Keys were not on him. Case shd be closed by now but u know they are looking for the Rastaman.
a snitch in his camp, thats fucked up. question, where does the story of the undercover selling to them, and him "inspecting" it comes from?
I wouldnt be surprised if that whole shit was made up
The arrest of Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton on Thursday in Florida on conspiracy to possess and intent to distribute cocaine followed an investigation that sounds like an episode of the 1980s cop drama "Miami Vice."
According to the Tampa Tribune, the arrest of one of the most controversial modern reggae acts to come from the island nation in the post-Bob Marley era began with a meeting last Tuesday at a Sarasota, Florida, restaurant called La Tropicana de Havana. It was there that Banton (born Mark Anthony Myrie) allegedly pulled up in a silver Land Rover with the license plate "JAH ONE" with another man named Ian Thomas and an unidentified woman and allegedly attempted to arrange to buy several kilos of cocaine.
Police recorded the meeting, and according to the criminal complaint, a confidential source told the singer to go to a warehouse under surveillance, where they met with an undercover Sarasota police officer who showed him and the woman a car that had 20 kilos of cocaine stashed in secret compartments. Banton and Thomas allegedly sampled the drugs and negotiated the price for a few hours, then left, only to return the next day after Thomas called the source and expressed interest in buying 15 kilos of the drug.
Another meeting took place Wednesday at an Applebee's restaurant in Sarasota, where Thomas allegedly told the source his group wanted to purchase 5 kilos and possibly more at a later time. He also reportedly said another member of his crew was in the parking lot with about $125,000 in cash.
By late afternoon, Thomas and the source left the restaurant and met with a man named James Mack, who was in the driver's seat of the car and who returned to the Applebee's to continue negotiating the deal, according to the criminal complaint.
On Thursday morning, Thomas and Mack allegedly drove back to the warehouse, where an undercover Sarasota officer saw Mack pull large amounts of cash from a hidden panel in the rear driver's side of the Honda. After inspecting the cash, the undercover officer gave a bag with 7 kilos of cocaine to Thomas and Mack. Officers then gave the signal to arrest the two, while Banton was simultaneously apprehended in Miami.
All three were charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and are being held with no bond. Grammy nominee Banton — whose recent U.S. tour was plagued by calls for protest from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, who decry the homophobic lyrics to his 1992 song "Boom Bye Bye" — is expected to appear in a Miami courtroom later this week. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the charges
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1628232/20091214/banton_buju.jhtml
According to the Tampa Tribune, the arrest of one of the most controversial modern reggae acts to come from the island nation in the post-Bob Marley era began with a meeting last Tuesday at a Sarasota, Florida, restaurant called La Tropicana de Havana. It was there that Banton (born Mark Anthony Myrie) allegedly pulled up in a silver Land Rover with the license plate "JAH ONE" with another man named Ian Thomas and an unidentified woman and allegedly attempted to arrange to buy several kilos of cocaine.
Police recorded the meeting, and according to the criminal complaint, a confidential source told the singer to go to a warehouse under surveillance, where they met with an undercover Sarasota police officer who showed him and the woman a car that had 20 kilos of cocaine stashed in secret compartments. Banton and Thomas allegedly sampled the drugs and negotiated the price for a few hours, then left, only to return the next day after Thomas called the source and expressed interest in buying 15 kilos of the drug.
Another meeting took place Wednesday at an Applebee's restaurant in Sarasota, where Thomas allegedly told the source his group wanted to purchase 5 kilos and possibly more at a later time. He also reportedly said another member of his crew was in the parking lot with about $125,000 in cash.
By late afternoon, Thomas and the source left the restaurant and met with a man named James Mack, who was in the driver's seat of the car and who returned to the Applebee's to continue negotiating the deal, according to the criminal complaint.
On Thursday morning, Thomas and Mack allegedly drove back to the warehouse, where an undercover Sarasota officer saw Mack pull large amounts of cash from a hidden panel in the rear driver's side of the Honda. After inspecting the cash, the undercover officer gave a bag with 7 kilos of cocaine to Thomas and Mack. Officers then gave the signal to arrest the two, while Banton was simultaneously apprehended in Miami.
All three were charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and are being held with no bond. Grammy nominee Banton — whose recent U.S. tour was plagued by calls for protest from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, who decry the homophobic lyrics to his 1992 song "Boom Bye Bye" — is expected to appear in a Miami courtroom later this week. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the charges
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1628232/20091214/banton_buju.jhtml
sarasota, man the necks on those cops out there dont get any redder
they are known for being overly aggresive and thats just the way they love it.
that makes no sense, either the story is embellished, what fuckin world reknown celebrity, is going to roll up in a fuckin silver 4x4 with PERSONALIZED plates, to purchase five fuckin birds???
that move is like straight from the eighties...
like I started to say it either fabricated, embellished trumped up bullshit or buju is losing his mind.
they are known for being overly aggresive and thats just the way they love it.
that makes no sense, either the story is embellished, what fuckin world reknown celebrity, is going to roll up in a fuckin silver 4x4 with PERSONALIZED plates, to purchase five fuckin birds???
that move is like straight from the eighties...
like I started to say it either fabricated, embellished trumped up bullshit or buju is losing his mind.
Thats what I thought too, but, remember the T.I. arrest? Sometimes, you get caught up in the game and not realize that one of your "partners" snitched.
....And you think that Buju is totally innocent? I supported Buju, but the way the industry works...I'm not surprised. The Battyman dem didn't set Buju up....Buju set himself up. They have footage of him tasting the coke....trust me, Buju is no angel.
Buju's colourful career
Published: Sunday | December 13, 2009
WITH THE catchy hit single Browning in 1992, Buju Banton commanded the attention of music lovers and, in so doing, etched a foothold on Jamaica's musical landscape.
The gifted youth silenced critics and proved he was no fluke when he stormed the entertainment arena with Black Woman in response to colour-conscious Jamaicans who frowned on Browning.
These two singles would hit a chord on the Jamaican psyche.
In so doing, Browning and Black Woman kick-started a colourful career, pockmarked by the young artiste's run-ins with the international gay-rights community, as well as the law.
Christened Mark Anthony Myrie, Buju Banton, the youngest of 15 children, was born in 1973 and grew up in Salt Lane in the Red Hills Road area.
In a community where reggae music and the sound system were dominant features, Myrie fell in love with dancehall.
A glance at his colourful career:
He adopted the pseudonym Buju Banton from another deejay, Burro Banton, whom he admired as a child.
In 1986, Buju was introduced to producer Robert French by fellow deejay Clement Irie, and his first single, The Ruler, was released not long afterwards in 1987.
In 1988, age 15, he first recorded his most controversial song, Boom Bye Bye, which took issue with homosexuality.
Largely because he was unknown, Boom Bye Bye failed to inspire until it was re-released in 1992 after he had made his mark with a range of singles, following on his two early successes. The following year was an explosive one for Buju as he broke Bob Marley's record for the highest number of number-one singles in a year.
Buju's debut album, Mr. Mention, includes his greatest hits from 1993. It was also the year when the second release of Boom Bye Bye threatened to destroy not the gays, but all he had toiled so hard to accomplish. The lyrics of Boom Bye Bye sparked outrage in the United States and Europe. This led to Buju being dropped from the line-up of the WOMAD festival that year. He survived and drastically changed his tune, largely focusing on conscious issue-oriented commentaries. Buju released the hard-hitting Voice of Jamaica in 1993 on the major Mercury label. These tracks included the commentary, Deportees, a remix of Tribal War, sharply condemning political violence and Willy, Don't Be Silly which promoted safe sex, profits from which were donated to a charity supporting children with AIDS. As his career progressed, many of Buju's lyrics sought to combat the scourge of violence. Murderer condemned gun violence and frontally challenged the prevailing lyrical content in dancehall. As he matured and his transformation continued, Buju Banton embraced the Rastafari movement and growing dreadlocks, his music assumed a spiritual tone. When Buju Banton toured Europe and Japan, in 1994, the shows were sold out, a testimony to his rising popularity, despite the deafening anti-gay sentiments, which continued to flourish in the United States.
His album Til Shiloh in 1995 successfully blended conscious lyrics with a hard-hitting dancehall vibe.
The album included earlier singles, such as Murderer, and Untold Stories.
Untold Stories revealed an entirely different Buju from the one that had stormed to dancehall stardom four years before. It is regarded by many as some of his best work, and is a staple in the Banton performance repertoire. In March 2003, Buju released Friends for Life, which featured more sharply political commentaries. These include Mr. Nine, an anti-gun song that further verified his status as one of reggae's most socially aware artistes. In April 2004, Buju was fined the equivalent of US$9,000 for drug possession and cultivation of cannabis after two mature marijuana plants were discovered growing at his studio in December 2003. Buju was also in trouble with the law in connection with a 2004 incident in which he, as part of a group of about a dozen people, was accused of beating six men believed to be homosexuals. Charges against Buju were dismissed by the judge in the case in January 2006 for lack of evidence. The year 2006 saw the release of the critically acclaimed Too Bad, his first dancehall-oriented album in over a decade. Buju showed in 2007 that he still had what it took to be at the top of the dancehall game with Driver A, a massive hit that year.
Despite the passage of time and Buju's obvious transformation, refelcted in his musical lyrics, he has never been forgiven by the gay community for Boom Bye Bye, which was released when he was a mere lad of 15 and re-released when he was 18.
The refusal of Buju Banton to bow to the demands of gay-rights activists earlier this year has not helped.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091213/lead/lead2.html
Published: Sunday | December 13, 2009
WITH THE catchy hit single Browning in 1992, Buju Banton commanded the attention of music lovers and, in so doing, etched a foothold on Jamaica's musical landscape.
The gifted youth silenced critics and proved he was no fluke when he stormed the entertainment arena with Black Woman in response to colour-conscious Jamaicans who frowned on Browning.
These two singles would hit a chord on the Jamaican psyche.
In so doing, Browning and Black Woman kick-started a colourful career, pockmarked by the young artiste's run-ins with the international gay-rights community, as well as the law.
Christened Mark Anthony Myrie, Buju Banton, the youngest of 15 children, was born in 1973 and grew up in Salt Lane in the Red Hills Road area.
In a community where reggae music and the sound system were dominant features, Myrie fell in love with dancehall.
A glance at his colourful career:
He adopted the pseudonym Buju Banton from another deejay, Burro Banton, whom he admired as a child.
In 1986, Buju was introduced to producer Robert French by fellow deejay Clement Irie, and his first single, The Ruler, was released not long afterwards in 1987.
In 1988, age 15, he first recorded his most controversial song, Boom Bye Bye, which took issue with homosexuality.
Largely because he was unknown, Boom Bye Bye failed to inspire until it was re-released in 1992 after he had made his mark with a range of singles, following on his two early successes. The following year was an explosive one for Buju as he broke Bob Marley's record for the highest number of number-one singles in a year.
Buju's debut album, Mr. Mention, includes his greatest hits from 1993. It was also the year when the second release of Boom Bye Bye threatened to destroy not the gays, but all he had toiled so hard to accomplish. The lyrics of Boom Bye Bye sparked outrage in the United States and Europe. This led to Buju being dropped from the line-up of the WOMAD festival that year. He survived and drastically changed his tune, largely focusing on conscious issue-oriented commentaries. Buju released the hard-hitting Voice of Jamaica in 1993 on the major Mercury label. These tracks included the commentary, Deportees, a remix of Tribal War, sharply condemning political violence and Willy, Don't Be Silly which promoted safe sex, profits from which were donated to a charity supporting children with AIDS. As his career progressed, many of Buju's lyrics sought to combat the scourge of violence. Murderer condemned gun violence and frontally challenged the prevailing lyrical content in dancehall. As he matured and his transformation continued, Buju Banton embraced the Rastafari movement and growing dreadlocks, his music assumed a spiritual tone. When Buju Banton toured Europe and Japan, in 1994, the shows were sold out, a testimony to his rising popularity, despite the deafening anti-gay sentiments, which continued to flourish in the United States.
His album Til Shiloh in 1995 successfully blended conscious lyrics with a hard-hitting dancehall vibe.
The album included earlier singles, such as Murderer, and Untold Stories.
Untold Stories revealed an entirely different Buju from the one that had stormed to dancehall stardom four years before. It is regarded by many as some of his best work, and is a staple in the Banton performance repertoire. In March 2003, Buju released Friends for Life, which featured more sharply political commentaries. These include Mr. Nine, an anti-gun song that further verified his status as one of reggae's most socially aware artistes. In April 2004, Buju was fined the equivalent of US$9,000 for drug possession and cultivation of cannabis after two mature marijuana plants were discovered growing at his studio in December 2003. Buju was also in trouble with the law in connection with a 2004 incident in which he, as part of a group of about a dozen people, was accused of beating six men believed to be homosexuals. Charges against Buju were dismissed by the judge in the case in January 2006 for lack of evidence. The year 2006 saw the release of the critically acclaimed Too Bad, his first dancehall-oriented album in over a decade. Buju showed in 2007 that he still had what it took to be at the top of the dancehall game with Driver A, a massive hit that year.
Despite the passage of time and Buju's obvious transformation, refelcted in his musical lyrics, he has never been forgiven by the gay community for Boom Bye Bye, which was released when he was a mere lad of 15 and re-released when he was 18.
The refusal of Buju Banton to bow to the demands of gay-rights activists earlier this year has not helped.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091213/lead/lead2.html
So they just fucking with him about a song that came out in the 90's? Them cats like a decade late.
Fucked Up
More like 2 decades...............
In 1988, age 15, he first recorded his most controversial song, Boom Bye Bye, which took issue with homosexuality.
Which is exactly why the coke charge is only one sentence of an article dedicated mostly to the gay bashing scandal. This is bullshit.Pure fuckery
The gay mafia set him up.
Update:
Reggae star Banton will be transferred to Tampa
MIAMI — Grammy nominated Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton will fight a drug charge against him in Tampa instead of Miami.
Banton waived his bail hearing Wednesday in Miami federal court. His case is being prosecuted in Tampa, where he will be transferred.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Turnoff issued a temporary order of detention for the 36-year-old singer, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie.
Banton did not speak at the hearing, except to reply, "Yes, sir," to the judge's questions. Like the other 10 jail inmates waiting in the courtroom, he wore a beige jail jumpsuit over a white T-shirt, with his long dreadlocks tied up off his neck and his hands shackled in front of him.
"He believes that because the indictment was filed out of Tampa, that's where the case should be defended," Banton's attorney, Herbert E. Walker III, said after the hearing.
Banton has been in federal custody since last Thursday. He is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Walker said the charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit, Banton and two others traveled to Sarasota last week to purchase a large amount of cocaine from an undercover law enforcement officer. The DEA was tipped off by a confidential informant who agreed to wear a recording device during the drug negotiation session.
Banton's attorney said the singer is "completely innocent" of the charges against him.
"He's a very spiritual person," Walker said. "He has a lot of faith in God. He's confident he's going to be exonerated."
The husky-voiced Banton has been a major star in his native Jamaica since the early 1990s with brash dancehall music and, more recently, a traditional reggae sound. His career has been stunted in the United States because of some song lyrics that advocated violence against gay men.
Earlier this month, Banton's ninth album, "Rasta Got Soul," was nominated for a Grammy for best reggae album. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation launched an online petition protesting the nomination.
Reggae star Banton will be transferred to Tampa
MIAMI — Grammy nominated Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton will fight a drug charge against him in Tampa instead of Miami.
Banton waived his bail hearing Wednesday in Miami federal court. His case is being prosecuted in Tampa, where he will be transferred.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Turnoff issued a temporary order of detention for the 36-year-old singer, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie.
Banton did not speak at the hearing, except to reply, "Yes, sir," to the judge's questions. Like the other 10 jail inmates waiting in the courtroom, he wore a beige jail jumpsuit over a white T-shirt, with his long dreadlocks tied up off his neck and his hands shackled in front of him.
"He believes that because the indictment was filed out of Tampa, that's where the case should be defended," Banton's attorney, Herbert E. Walker III, said after the hearing.
Banton has been in federal custody since last Thursday. He is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Walker said the charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit, Banton and two others traveled to Sarasota last week to purchase a large amount of cocaine from an undercover law enforcement officer. The DEA was tipped off by a confidential informant who agreed to wear a recording device during the drug negotiation session.
Banton's attorney said the singer is "completely innocent" of the charges against him.
"He's a very spiritual person," Walker said. "He has a lot of faith in God. He's confident he's going to be exonerated."
The husky-voiced Banton has been a major star in his native Jamaica since the early 1990s with brash dancehall music and, more recently, a traditional reggae sound. His career has been stunted in the United States because of some song lyrics that advocated violence against gay men.
Earlier this month, Banton's ninth album, "Rasta Got Soul," was nominated for a Grammy for best reggae album. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation launched an online petition protesting the nomination.
Buju Banton's attorney seeks details on informant in drug case
Published: March 4, 2010
TAMPA - The informant who helped federal agents build a drug case against Jamaican reggae singer Buju Banton has been paid $3.3 million for helping law enforcement in numerous cases over several years, lawyers said in court this morning.
An attorney for Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, said he plans to argue that the singer was entrapped by the informant, who pestered him for months to join him in a cocaine deal.
Myrie is being held without bail on charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting his co-defendants in possessing a firearm during the course of cocaine distribution.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has said in court filings that Myrie contacted a confidential informant about a possible cocaine purchase. The next day, Myrie and other men met with the informant at Sarasota's La Tropicana de Havana restaurant, where the DEA and local police had set up video and audio surveillance.
Defense attorney David Oscar Markus told U.S. Magistrata Thomas Wilson this morning that prosecutors have not provided enough information about the informant for him to be prepared to cross-examine him at Myrie's trial, scheduled for April 19.
Markus outlined information that the government has given him about the informant:
• The informant's name, which Markus did not disclose in court.
• He was paid more than $35,000 for his cooperation in the case against Myrie and is also paid on a contingency basis, receiving a portion of the money the judge orders the defendant to forfeit.
• He was convicted in South Florida in 1993 of distributing cocaine in a case that brought a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 10 years.
• He transported large amounts of cocaine and marijuana between 1984 and 1993.
• He is a legal, permanent resident of the United States from Colombia and was granted that immigration status after law enforcement requested it.
• When he testified in one case, a judge questioned his credibility.
• He is involved in a tax dispute with the IRS.
• He has worked with the prosecutor in Myrie's case for more than 10 years.
But Marcus said he needs more details, such as details about the tax case, information on other cases the informant has worked and specifics on the informant's criminal history.
Marcus also asked for a list of the amounts of money the informant was paid in each case. Marcus said he thinks the amount has escalated over the years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Preston said he has complied with court requirements and turned over all information that might help the defense. Providing details on every case the informant has worked could put the informant in danger, Preston said.
Although Wilson said Marcus wasn't necessarily entitled to more information, the judge ordered the prosecution to give the defense any communications by law enforcement or prosecutors asking for beneficial treatment in the informant's tax case and immigration file. Wilson also ordered the prosecutor to give the defense a list of cases in which the informant has testified for the prosecution.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar/04/buju-bantons-attorney-seeks-details-informant-drug/
Published: March 4, 2010
TAMPA - The informant who helped federal agents build a drug case against Jamaican reggae singer Buju Banton has been paid $3.3 million for helping law enforcement in numerous cases over several years, lawyers said in court this morning.
An attorney for Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, said he plans to argue that the singer was entrapped by the informant, who pestered him for months to join him in a cocaine deal.
Myrie is being held without bail on charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting his co-defendants in possessing a firearm during the course of cocaine distribution.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has said in court filings that Myrie contacted a confidential informant about a possible cocaine purchase. The next day, Myrie and other men met with the informant at Sarasota's La Tropicana de Havana restaurant, where the DEA and local police had set up video and audio surveillance.
Defense attorney David Oscar Markus told U.S. Magistrata Thomas Wilson this morning that prosecutors have not provided enough information about the informant for him to be prepared to cross-examine him at Myrie's trial, scheduled for April 19.
Markus outlined information that the government has given him about the informant:
• The informant's name, which Markus did not disclose in court.
• He was paid more than $35,000 for his cooperation in the case against Myrie and is also paid on a contingency basis, receiving a portion of the money the judge orders the defendant to forfeit.
• He was convicted in South Florida in 1993 of distributing cocaine in a case that brought a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 10 years.
• He transported large amounts of cocaine and marijuana between 1984 and 1993.
• He is a legal, permanent resident of the United States from Colombia and was granted that immigration status after law enforcement requested it.
• When he testified in one case, a judge questioned his credibility.
• He is involved in a tax dispute with the IRS.
• He has worked with the prosecutor in Myrie's case for more than 10 years.
But Marcus said he needs more details, such as details about the tax case, information on other cases the informant has worked and specifics on the informant's criminal history.
Marcus also asked for a list of the amounts of money the informant was paid in each case. Marcus said he thinks the amount has escalated over the years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Preston said he has complied with court requirements and turned over all information that might help the defense. Providing details on every case the informant has worked could put the informant in danger, Preston said.
Although Wilson said Marcus wasn't necessarily entitled to more information, the judge ordered the prosecution to give the defense any communications by law enforcement or prosecutors asking for beneficial treatment in the informant's tax case and immigration file. Wilson also ordered the prosecutor to give the defense a list of cases in which the informant has testified for the prosecution.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar/04/buju-bantons-attorney-seeks-details-informant-drug/
Little hope for Buju
JamaicaObserver.com
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
PROMINENT United States-based attorney, Professor David Rowe, says he has very little hope that reggae star Buju Banton's entrapment plea will hold up in a US court.
Rowe said the US revelation that the prosecution has video recordings of Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, tasting cocaine and participating in arrangements for the sale of contraband, will work against him in a big way.
"I see his chances as begin very low. He is on video offering cocaine for sale. I don't think the entrapment argument has a great deal of effort," Rowe told Chat! yesterday.
Banton was held in December last year by US Federal authorities at his Tamarac, Florida home and charged with conspiracy to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine. This, following a sting operation at a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled warehouse in Tampa, which resulted in the arrest of two other men who were about to purchase cocaine from undercover agents.
He has since argued that he was the victim of entrapment and his lawyer David Markos, has publicly said he intends to argue along that line when the trial involving Banton begins next month.
– Karyl Walker
JamaicaObserver.com
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
PROMINENT United States-based attorney, Professor David Rowe, says he has very little hope that reggae star Buju Banton's entrapment plea will hold up in a US court.
Rowe said the US revelation that the prosecution has video recordings of Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, tasting cocaine and participating in arrangements for the sale of contraband, will work against him in a big way.
"I see his chances as begin very low. He is on video offering cocaine for sale. I don't think the entrapment argument has a great deal of effort," Rowe told Chat! yesterday.
Banton was held in December last year by US Federal authorities at his Tamarac, Florida home and charged with conspiracy to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine. This, following a sting operation at a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled warehouse in Tampa, which resulted in the arrest of two other men who were about to purchase cocaine from undercover agents.
He has since argued that he was the victim of entrapment and his lawyer David Markos, has publicly said he intends to argue along that line when the trial involving Banton begins next month.
– Karyl Walker
Similar threads
