Christopher Coke Detained in Jamaica

Jamaican drug don Christopher “Dudus” Coke was arrested Tuesday as he attempted to pass through a checkpoint on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Kingston. According to the Wall Street Journal, the 41-year-old Coke was handed over to authorities by Rev. Al Miller, who was apparently driving him to the US Embassy. There, the AP says, Coke planned to turn himself over to US marshals, following the advice of the evangelical minister. [The AP says Coke had even made arrangements with the Embassy officials before-hand, in order to negotiate his surrender]. However, early reports indicate that Coke was apprehended by Jamaican authorities before being able to do so.

In the United States, officials seeking Coke’s extradition on charges of drug and arms trafficking are watching the case closely. A U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York (where those charges had been filed) said Tuesday that “We look forward to working closely with the Jamaican authorities to bring Coke to justice.”

Meanwhile, on the island, Jamaica’s police commissioner is urging supporters of Mr. Coke to remain peaceful. A militarized attempt to arrest Coke led to the deaths of 76 persons one month ago. More from the Miami Herald here.

Behind the headline:

· In Mexico, the AP says at least three police officers were killed Tuesday when armed gunmen opened fire on the municipal hall of Los Herreras, a small town in the northern state of Nuevo Leon. A vehicle near the scene of the crime hints at Zeta participation in the attack. Meanwhile, EFE reports on the Mexican army’s announcement that it will set up a special unit to handle human rights complaints from civilians. To be called Univic (Citizens Liason Unit), the Mexican Defense Secretariat said Tuesday the body “will allow the strengthening of the communication links between civil society and [the] Secretariat, with full transparency in resolving conflicts related to human rights, stemming from actions by the Mexican army and air force against organized crime and originating in the military presence on the streets.” Interestingly, that announcement comes following a new report from Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, which says “altering crime scenes” and the rampant use of drugs and alcohol are part of the Mexican army’s “systematic conduct.” La Crónica de Hoy has the full story.

· Also, in other Mexico-related news, the BBC has one of multiple reports this morning on the country’s legal challenge against Arizona’s draconian immigration law. In US federal court, the Mexican government has filed a “friend of the court” brief (or amicus curiae) in support of a case brought by various US rights groups against the law. In the brief, Mexico argues that the Arizona law is both unconstitutional and detrimental to US-Mexico bilateral relations because it illegally discriminates against Mexican citizens. The law is set to go into force on July 29.

· The Washington Post’s Juan Forero follows up on a controversial story he wrote a few weeks back, implicating the brother of outgoing President Alvaro Uribe in the country’s paramilitary scandal. Today’s story focuses on the retired police major who made those accusations against Santiago Uribe. Juan Carlos Meneses was “deposed” by a prosecutor from the Colombian attorney general’s office while in Buenos Aires. [Meneses currently lives in exile in Argentina]. Officials will now determine whether or not the police chief’s statements warrant the re-opening of the case against Santiago Uribe.

· In a report issued Tuesday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says Peru will soon be surpassing Colombia as the world’s top producer of coca. The amount of land under cultivation has risen 6.8% in Peru from 2008 to 2009, says the UNODC. [In Colombia, coca cultivation fell by 16% over that same period.] However, in the summary of its report, the UNODC does not wager a guess on how much of that coca is currently being converted into cocaine – at least in Bolivia and Peru. “Due to the ongoing review of conversion factors from coca leaves to pure cocaine, [UNODC] is not putting an estimate on the level of cocaine production in Bolivia and Peru this year,” the UN says.

· On drugs and Brazil, EFE says one ton of cocaine bound for Spain was intercepted by custom officials at the port city of Santos, near Sao Paulo. Apparently Argentine customs officials tipped the Brazilians off to the stash stored away in two shipping containers.

· Also on Brazil and drugs, at OSI’s blog Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch and Karolina Walecik write on the crack epidemic in Rio’s shantytowns – focusing on the harm-reduction work OSI grantee Viva Rio is currently undertaking to turn the tide.

· Al-Jazeera has a video report on the removal of Nicaragua’s last land mines left behind from the civil war between the FSLN and the US-supported Contras. “More than 180,000 mines from more than 1,000 minefields are believed to have been cleared – a success applauded by the international community,” says Al-Jazeera.

· ALBA member states will meet this week in Ecuador, says Infolatam. Their goal: to outline common policies to consolidate a new “plurinational” and “intercultural” state model. Also, those taking part in the meetings (Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and likely Nicaragua and Cuba) will discuss ALBA’s “Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos” (TCP).

· Might Alvaro Uribe run for mayor of Bogotá after stepping down from the presidency in August? In a recent radio interview, the president says he has not ruled the idea out.

· In a bizarre story in Paraguay, BBC Mundo says the Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP) has put a bounty on the head of its own president, Fernando Lugo, as well as other high ranking government officials. The EPP’s offer currently stands at 1000 US dollars (or 5 million guaranís).

· Recent poll numbers show Uruguay’s Pepe Mujica among the region’s most popular national leaders. After completing his first 100 days 74% of Uruguayan’s approve of the former guerrilla-turned-president. Similar numbers in El Salvador, where one-year in Mauricio Funes remains popular despite on-going struggles with crime and violence. A LPG Datos poll shows 65% of Salvadorans approve of Funes. [Those numbers are down slightly from last November when Funes peaked at 78% approval].

· On Funes and his first year in office, the Center for Democracy in the Americas is releasing a new report on the matter today. Entitled “Expectations for Change and the Challenges of Governance: The First Year of President Mauricio Funes,” the report includes an introduction from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and includes analysis of the economy, security, social inclusion, human rights, foreign policy, and governance under the FMLN.

· Finally, some opinions. In the Miami Herald, Mark Schneider of the International Crisis Group on Guatemala. The ICG has a new report as well (“Guatemala: Squeezed between Crime and Impunity”), which, in Schneider’s words, “found that CICIG had given Guatemala renewed hope that combating organized crime, drug trafficking and state corruption is possible.” The picture, however, remains largely troubling. He writes:

“Yet Guatemala still faces serious challenges, which make naming an equally tough new CICIG director even more urgent. Its murder rate is among the highest in the world, Mexican cartels have made Guatemala the frontline of their battle for control of the cocaine corridor, and youth gangs and organized crime have undermined citizen security.”

The LA Times gets its editorial out today on the Santos victory in Colombia. The paper calls on the president-elect to transform himself from a military man into a “chief executive.” Laura Carlsen, of the CIP’s Americas Program writes in her Foreign Policy in Focus column on the recent killing of a Mexican boy by US border patrol. And Oliver Stone and Tariq Ali chat with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now about Stone’s take on the Latin American Left, featured in his new movie, South of the Border. The film opens in New York this weekend.