Lester Lloyd Coke
Lester Lloyd Coke, commonly known as Jim Brown[1], was a Jamaican drug lord and the founder of the Jamaican drug gang the Shower Posse based out of the Tivoli Gardens[2] garrison community in West Kingston. Coke was identified by Netflix Documentary “ReMastered: Who Shot The Sheriff” as present and a party to shooting of Bob Marley on Dec 3rd, 1976.
Lester Lloyd Coke | |
|---|---|
| Died | 23rd February, 1992The Daily Gleaner 24th February 1992 p.1 General Penitentiary, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Nationality | Jamaican |
| Other names | Jim Brown, Don Dadda |
| Occupation | Leader of the Shower Posse Gang |
| Successor | Christopher Coke |
Shower Posse
Lester Lloyd Coke founded the Shower Posse alongside Vivian Blake[3] after the Tivoli Gardens strongman, Claudius Masop died in the late 1970's.[3] Claudius had been Coke's mentor and his death left Coke as the leader of the Phoenix gang which later became the Shower Posse. The Shower Posse was backed, funded, and armed by Jamaica's 5th Prime Minister, Edward Seaga whose Jamaican Labour Party was assisted by the CIA[citation needed]
When Seaga was elected as Prime Minister of Jamaica in the 1980 Jamaican general election the Shower Posse became his enforcers in the West Kingston area, ensuring Seaga maintained the peoples support.
The Shower Posse dealt cocaine and Cannabis across Jamaica and the United States.They are also Tied to a large number of murders in both countries.[4]
Arrest and Death
In 1990 Lester Lloyd Coke and other gang members were indicted by the United States Department of Justice,[3] and Coke was arrested by Jamaican authorities.
He was put in the General Penitentiary in Kingston to await extradition to the United States on drug trafficking and murder charges.[1]
In February 1992 shortly after the violent death of his eldest son Mark "Jah T" Coke, a fire broke out in Coke’s cell and he was burned to death. The source of the fire was not identified which has led to speculation that he was murdered.[2]
Coke’s funeral procession was led by Edward Seaga[5] and reportedly consisted of 35,000 people.
Family
In 1992 Coke's eldest son Mark Coke was shot and killed while riding his motorcycle down Maxfield Avenue in St Andrews.
Coke's daughter who went by the name Mumpi was killed in a shootout where her husband was also shot and killed.[3]
Upon his death Coke's adopted son Christopher "Dudus" Coke was elected as the new head of the Shower Posse.
References
- ^ a b Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Jamaica: Information on the death of alleged gang leader Jim Brown during a prison fire in 1992". Refworld. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ a b McArthur, Greg (2010-05-26). "Memories of father's charred corpse haunt fugitive Coke". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ a b c d "The Cokes then and now - News - JamaicaObserver.com". 2015-02-20. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ "Profile: Christopher 'Dudus' Coke". BBC News. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ Newsweek Staff (1992-04-05). "'Jim Brown' Is Still Dead, Isn't He?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2021-12-03.