Trouble in Jamaica is raising its ugly head again, 9 years of after 25 people were killed in three-day stand off with security forces who were searching for illegal weapons.

A state of public emergency for the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew was declared late last week after barricades were put up, roads were blocked and several police stations attacked in and around Tivoli Gardens. The trouble has come about as after extradition proceedings were granted to the US Government involving Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

Mr Coke according to the US justice department is one of the world's most dangerous drug barons and operates an international smuggling network. He is also said to lead a Kingston gang called the Shower Posse, blamed for numerous murders in Jamaica and the US, and if convicted on the charges filed against him in New York faces life imprisonment.
Residents of Kingston however view him in a different light and see him as a man who is fulfilling a role that the government does not, such as giving them money to support their children. One resident has reportedly rung the BBC (UK) to say Mr Coke provided a valuable service to the community - unlike the politicians.

"If your grandmother dies, you go to him and he buries her," she said. "Okay, that's a fact. If you're a politician you're not going to find him, especially Bruce [Golding, Prime Minister, Jamaica], you're not going to find him anywhere in the constituency, so you go to him [Dudus]."
"You need your child to go to school - you go to him, and this is how it's been, this kind of patronage."

Tension in Kingston has been high since news of his imminent arrest broke after the reversal of nine months of opposition to his extradition. Prime Minister Golding had argued that the evidence against Mr Coke had been obtained illegally by intercepting mobile telephone calls, but he was forced to change his mind in the face of growing public discontent, in certain areas and questions about possible ties to Mr Coke.

This tension which had simmered all week with staged protests and streets barricaded in an attempt to stop his arrest and extradition, finally spilled over into violence as gunmen loyal to Mr Coke came out in a show of support as the security forces attempted to remove roadblocks which were being mounted with increasing frequency in the vicinity of Darling Street. Eventually the Darling Street Police Station came under attack and in the absence of strong opposition from the security forces the gunmen grew more brazen and turned their attention to the Denham Town station as well. As the gunfire grew in intensity local hospitals were kept busy with numerous wounds and at least two reported police deaths on Sunday.

Reports are now coming in that yesterday (Monday) the security forces have increased their efforts and plumes of smoke can be seen coming from the area as they move into the Tivoli Gardens, backed by helicopters. There are also reports from local sources of bodies lying in the streets.

Security Minister Dwight Nelson has told the BBC that soldiers, in a joint operation with police, had broken down the barricades around Tivoli Gardens and are doing a house-to-house search for Mr Coke.

"The purpose of the operation is to execute the warrant for extradition and to detain [Coke] so he can appear in court." He went on to add the police are "doing everything in their power to ensure the city remains safe", while Prime Minister Golding has denounced the unrest as a "calculated assault on the authority of the state that cannot be tolerated."