By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A Jamaican man accused of running a major drug and gun smuggling operation into the U.S. was reportedly brought to New York on Thursday.
Christopher Coke, a reputed gang leader, was indicted in 2009 on charges that he had shipped firearms to Jamaica from the U.S. and sold crack cocaine and marijuana in the New York area since the 1990s, according to the indictment.
Coke was scheduled to be flown from Kingston, Jamaica to New York on Thursday after he waived his right to an extradition hearing in Jamaica, the New York Times reported.
Dozens of Jamaicans died after authorities attempted to capture Coke last month, according to several reports. Jamaican authorities claim Coke brought in loyalists from around the Caribbean to fight police and prevent his capture, the Times said.
Jamaica's slow response to the United States’ 2009 extradition request degraded the relationship between Jamaica and the U.S., CNN.com said.
Coke, whose full name is Christopher Michael Coke, also goes by a variety of nicknames according to the indictment, including “Presi,”, “General,” “President,” “Duddus” and “Shortman,” according to CNN.
