Christopher 'Dudus' Coke is wanted in the United States on alleged drug-related charges.

The United States Government has lashed out at Jamaica's handling of the extradition request for west Kingston strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

In an unusually caustic report on Jamaica in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, the BarackObama administration made it clear it was not satisfied with the handling of the extradition request and charged that the Jamaican government was not holding to the rules.

While co-operation between (the) Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and United States Government law-enforcement agencies remained strong, delays in proceeding with the significant extradition request for a major alleged narcotics and firearms trafficker, who is reported to have ties to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, and subsequent delays in other extradition requests, have called into question Kingston's commitment to law-enforcement co-operation with the US, the report claimed. According to Washington, in the past, extradition requests from its law-enforcement agencies were routinely and timely processed by Jamaican political and judicial authorities.

serious questions

The report further stated that the GOJ's unusual handling of the August request for the extradition of Dudus marked a dramatic change in previous co-operation on extradition, including a temporary suspension in the processing of all other pending requests and raises serious questions about the GOJ's commitment to combating transnational crime.

Last night, Minister of Information Daryl Vaz was unwilling to speak on the US report, pointing THE STAR instead to National Security Minister Dwight Nelson or Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne. Neither could be reached for a comment.