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Legal
Banton drugs case declared a mistrial
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 28 September 2010
The court hearing considering the drugs charges made against reggae star Buju Banton has been declared a mistrial after jurors could not agree on whether or not the reggae star was guilty or innocent.
As previously reported, Banton was arrested in Florida last December on suspicion of attempting to buy five kilos of cocaine, which police claim he intended to re-sell. He says he was tricked by a cocaine smuggler who had avoided prison for his own drugs crimes by becoming a police informant. The reggae man’s trial began earlier this month, but after four days of argument and three days of deliberation the jury could not agree on a verdict, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. A retrial won’t happen now before December at the earliest.
Banton has been in prison ever since his arrest. He would face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty of the charges against him.
