West Kingston Enquiry: 'Dudus' fled for Tivoli minutes after then PM was briefed about potential extradition

General Stewart Saunders this morning repeated that drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus' Coke "hurriedly" left his upper St Andrew home and drove to his west Kingston stronghold of Tivoli Gardens nearly five minutes after he and the Police Commissioner at the time briefed then Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

General Saunders, who was giving evidence before the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry this morning, revealed that Coke was under surveillance at the time and that was the source of his information.

He told the commission that then Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin requested the surveillance of Coke, indicating that he had become aware of a likely extradition request for the former Tivoli Gardens strongman.

According to Saunders, Lewin indicated that the surveillance would allow for a "soft" detention of Coke and avoid potential unrest should the extradition request reach the Jamaican authorities.