ALLEGED drug and arms dealer Christopher Dudus Coke believes that the
best way of getting illegal guns off the streets is to dry up the
supply of bullets.

According to Reverend Al Miller, the former Tivoli Gardens strongman
made the suggestion during a meeting between both men inside the
heavily fortified community two days before the security forces entered
and crushed a militia assembled to prevent Cokes capture by the police.

Miller,who heads the National Transformation Programme, told Chat! on Monday
that he first met with Coke in January when he and members of the Peace
Management Initiative met with various area leaders and dons across the
Corporate Area, St Catherine and sections of Montego Bay.

According to Miller, he spoke with Coke at that time about the way
forward for many of these communities which have been stifled by
criminal activities and lack of developmental opportunities for young
people.

Among the issues discussed then and again on May 22 when they met, was how the guns could be removed from the streets.

Miller said that Coke, who the United States is trying to have
extradited to that country to answer major gun- and drug-trafficking
charges, told him that this could not be done overnight.

He suggested that the first move would be to dry up the supply of
bullets because if there were no bullets then the guns would be
useless, Miller said.

The suggestion was made even as residents and gunmen loyal to Coke
erected barricades at the entrances to Tivoli in preparation for a
stand-off with the security forces.

Miller said Coke also maintained that he was pushing for more
education, training and employment for the youths while being adamant
that the incessant *lo**letting benefited no one.