Driver, don't stop at all, drop this Arizona round a Alba Mall
Driver, don't even hitch, collect dat likkle food deh yah and come back quick
Driver, just rememba di damn speed limit
Cau if yuh, run in di Feds my friend dat is it
-Driver A by Buju Banton
Well it seems when Buju penned those words to the song Driver A, he wasn't expecting to be in the hands of the Feds! Well none of his fans, as a matter of fact none of us expected to hear news that one of Jamaica's most well known artiste would be locked up by the American police for dealing in drugs! I bet the entire Jamaica was shocked when they saw the news that Reggae/Dancehall artiste Buju Banton (Mark Anthony Myrie) has been arrested in Miami for cocaine! Buju as well as two other men have been held in a sting operation by undercover DEA agents and it is alleged that they were in the process of purchasing five kilograms of cocaine.
I was shocked to hear the news that he was arrested for drugs, but even more shocked to hear that it was cocaine! I mean if he was being arrested for drugs, the first thought is that it would have been for weed (marijuana), but cocaine! It is alleged by the US law enforcement officers that Buju was instrumental in the drug deal and has been recorded brokering the deal and even recorded tasting the drug for validity. This is one tough pickle Buju is in, even though it is reported that he vigorously denies being a part of the drug deal. However, his denial is not enough to get him off the hook and it certainly not an easy road to beat this charge.
There has been no official word from Buju's management team on the issue and the local law enforcement personnel has not indicated that they have specifics on Buju's charges. However, we do know according to the Associated Press that Buju faces a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and faces up to 20 years in prison. It will be interesting to see how this turns out for Buju, who was just recently nominated for a Grammy for his latest album Rasta Got Soul. All of Buju's fans and of course Jamaicans on a whole are eager to hear the details and the fate of this popular artiste. Is he really innocent? Was he setup? is it a great conspiracy due to his anti-gay songs and recent nomination? I guess we all have to wait to see how this unfortunate ordeal plays out.
Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091215/lead/lead1.html, http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091214/lead/lead1.html, http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091213/lead/lead1.html, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g22fxkrM8bnyJ6iWw7HcA-IycAZQD9CJR8E82
