Jamaican drug lord jailed for 23 years

A US federal judge yesterday sentenced Jamaican drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke to 23 years in prison, ending a long struggle by US authorities to lock up a powerful figure who had evaded capture with the aid of Jamaican authorities.

Coke, 43, was given the maximum sentence in Manhattan's US District Court following a deal in which he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and assault charges.

Judge Robert Patterson chose to give Coke the maximum allowable sentence – 20 years on the trafficking charge and three on the assault – and have them run consecutively. Coke's lawyer, Stephen Rosen, said he would not appeal the sentence.