Additionally, at the end of his cross-examination from defence lawyer David Oscar Markus, it was revealed that Buju did not finance or benefit from the drug deal that he was charged with being a part of.
In addition, McCaffrey said that there was no evidence of any connection between Buju and Ike and Tyke. The agent also agreed that Ike and Tyke were the buyers of the drugs for which Banton was arrested.
McCaffrey, while making these admissions and agreeing that Mack was a courier for Ike and Tyke, maintained that Thomas and Buju were the ones who brokered the drug deal.
During his opening statement to jurors, prosecutor James Preston said that Buju’s role had shifted from seeking new avenues to expanding his multimillion-dollar drugs enterprise to that of a broker.
Preston told the jurors that Buju was actively involved in the conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, noting that he would provide the evidence to back his statement.
But during his address of the jurors, Markus presented a checklist of 10 reasons why his client is not guilty, chief among them is that Buju had backed out of earlier drug talk with Johnson on 8th December, 2009 after discovering that Johnson was a real drug dealer.
Following 14th February, 2011’s early adjournment, as a result of a juror falling ill, Buju and his lawyer emerged from the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court in Tampa and gave brief statements to the press. Markus said that he was pleased with how the day had progressed.
“We had a very good day,” Markus told a throng of reporters. “We feel good. I feel the same way Mark [Buju] feels, that once the jurors listen to the facts they will find him not guilty because he’s not guilty. He’s innocent.”
Buju had moments earlier told reporters that he was thankful for the jurors who were selected and asked that they pay attention to the facts of the case.
Two hours were spent yesterday morning selecting the 12 jurors who would decide Buju’s fate. The panel is comprised of three African-American women.
The artiste is being tried for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offence; and using the wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence and if convicted, he could be sent to prison for 20 years.
(Content for this article was obtained from a Jamaica Observer release)