73 killed in hunt for Jamaican drug lord

The death toll in Kingston has risen to 73 following four days of fighting sparked by a search for one of the world's "most dangerous drug kingpins."

Christopher "Dudus" Coke is seen in this image released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

KINGSTON // Jamaican security forces kicked down doors and arrested dozens of people in a bullet-pocked slum yesterday, and said the death toll from four days of fighting sparked by the search for a reputed drug lord has risen to 73. The target of the manhunt, Christopher "Dudus" Coke, was nowhere to be found. He is sought by the United States on drug and arms trafficking charges, and the US justice department calls him one of the world's most dangerous drug kingpins.

"We are still searching for Mr Coke," the deputy police Chief Glenmore Hinds said. "Certainly we can't disclose where we are looking." He said Mr Coke's offices were found in the heart of the Tivoli Gardens slum, but would not say what authorities found there. Mr Hinds said police and soldiers had found 73 "civilian" bodies, three of which might not have been killed in incidents related to the raid. He said three security officers were also killed in battles with gunmen loyal to Mr Coke, who had nine months to prepare for an escape while Jamaica's prime minister wavered over US demands for his extradition.

Authorities sought to reassure the public about the ability and willingness of authorities to control Kingston's downtown slums. They also stressed that mostly men had died in the shoot-outs, but refused to provide specific breakdowns and the tally could not be independently confirmed. The information minister Daryl Vaz said that officials were trying to identify decomposed bodies and that the government would conduct an independent investigation into police actions during the raid. He said Mr Golding's government was "very concerned" about allegations of deliberate killings by security forces, which have long had a reputation for slipshod investigations and for being too quick on the trigger.

Police rarely, if ever, patrol inside Mr Coke's slum. The last time they attempted to assert control inside Tivoli Gardens, in 2001, clashes between gunmen and security forces killed 25 civilians, a soldier and a constable. Yesterday, sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the neighbouring slum of Denham Town, where some streets remained barricaded by local gang members. The 41-year-old Mr Coke, also known as "general" and "president," allegedly relied on a band of gunmen to keep control of Tivoli Gardens. He solidified his authority by dispensing charity and street justice in an area with little government presence.

American authorities say Mr Coke has been trafficking cocaine to the streets of New York City since the mid-1990s, allegedly hiring island women to hide the drugs on themselves on flights to the US. The four-day gun battle occurred around the capital on Jamaica's south coast, far from the tourist resorts on the north shore of the Caribbean island. * AP