By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times
There was no fan-fare in the heavily guarded Manhattan Federal Court Friday as Christopher "Dudus" Coke was led into courtroom 24A clad in dark blue prison wear and a brown T-shirt, with his hands cuffed behind his back.
After his cuffs were removed, he nodded to people in the galley then quietly spoke with his court-appointed attorney, Russell T. Neufeld, The New York Times reported.
Relatives of Coke who live in the New York area, where Coke himself once resided, but was deported after a 1998 conviction for possession of stolen property in North Carolina, were in attendance at his 2:00 p.m. arraignment.
When Judge Robert Patterson Jr., advised Coke of his rights and asked whether he wanted to plead not guilty, he rose from his chair and answered, "Yes sir."
Coke has been charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana and cocaine and trafficking firearms. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Coke, said to be one of the most dangerous drug lords by federal authorities, was arrested Tuesday in Jamaica as he and Reverend Al Miller, who has been charged with aiding a wanted fugitive, were en route to the U.S. Embassy to turn himself over for extradition to the United States.
Once in custody, Coke immediately waived his right to an extradition hearing and was flown to New York Thursday where he arrived with federal marshals and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
For more than a month, Coke eluded a manhunt by Jamaican police, which led to a bloody battle that pitted gang members and residents of Tivoli against police, leaving 76 people dead.
Jamaican police Commissioner Owen Ellington told media outlets that Coke eluded arrest by altering his appearance and hiding out in different places on the island. When he was captured in Jamaica, Coke was said to be wearing a bushy black wig and had shaved off his beard.
Judge Patterson ordered Coke, 41, jailed without bond pending further proceedings.
After the arraignment ended, a woman who told reporters she was an Auntie of Coke's said, "They call him the big bad wolf. He’s a good person. He’s a very good person."
Prosecutors, U.S. federal agents and Jamaican officials however, painted a much darker picture of Coke, who
is said to have led the notorious street gang known as the "Shower Posse."
Judge Patterson scheduled another hearing for Coke on Monday.
After the arraignment, Frank A. Doddato, one lawyer who attended the arraignment said he expected to be one of several lawyers retained by Coke, and that they would seek to have him released on bail.
“It obviously will be an uphill fight,” Mr. Doddato said, adding that Mr. Coke would seek to be acquitted.
“We’re not conceding anything,” Mr. Doddato said. “We don’t concede the time of day.”
The Black Urban Times
There was no fan-fare in the heavily guarded Manhattan Federal Court Friday as Christopher "Dudus" Coke was led into courtroom 24A clad in dark blue prison wear and a brown T-shirt, with his hands cuffed behind his back.
After his cuffs were removed, he nodded to people in the galley then quietly spoke with his court-appointed attorney, Russell T. Neufeld, The New York Times reported.
Relatives of Coke who live in the New York area, where Coke himself once resided, but was deported after a 1998 conviction for possession of stolen property in North Carolina, were in attendance at his 2:00 p.m. arraignment.
When Judge Robert Patterson Jr., advised Coke of his rights and asked whether he wanted to plead not guilty, he rose from his chair and answered, "Yes sir."
Coke has been charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana and cocaine and trafficking firearms. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Coke, said to be one of the most dangerous drug lords by federal authorities, was arrested Tuesday in Jamaica as he and Reverend Al Miller, who has been charged with aiding a wanted fugitive, were en route to the U.S. Embassy to turn himself over for extradition to the United States.
Once in custody, Coke immediately waived his right to an extradition hearing and was flown to New York Thursday where he arrived with federal marshals and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
For more than a month, Coke eluded a manhunt by Jamaican police, which led to a bloody battle that pitted gang members and residents of Tivoli against police, leaving 76 people dead.
Jamaican police Commissioner Owen Ellington told media outlets that Coke eluded arrest by altering his appearance and hiding out in different places on the island. When he was captured in Jamaica, Coke was said to be wearing a bushy black wig and had shaved off his beard.
Judge Patterson ordered Coke, 41, jailed without bond pending further proceedings.
After the arraignment ended, a woman who told reporters she was an Auntie of Coke's said, "They call him the big bad wolf. He’s a good person. He’s a very good person."
Prosecutors, U.S. federal agents and Jamaican officials however, painted a much darker picture of Coke, who
is said to have led the notorious street gang known as the "Shower Posse."
Judge Patterson scheduled another hearing for Coke on Monday.
After the arraignment, Frank A. Doddato, one lawyer who attended the arraignment said he expected to be one of several lawyers retained by Coke, and that they would seek to have him released on bail.
“It obviously will be an uphill fight,” Mr. Doddato said, adding that Mr. Coke would seek to be acquitted.
“We’re not conceding anything,” Mr. Doddato said. “We don’t concede the time of day.”
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