BUJU'S CO-ACCUSED GETS 51 MONTHS

One of the co-accused in Buju Banton’s high profile drug battle against the United States government was sentenced to 51 months' imprisonment.

Ian Thomas, who is a long-time friend of Buju, was sentenced yesterday in a federal court in Tampa, Florida.

The sentence was more than the 18 months that Thomas had requested in court documents last week for co-operating with the prosecution against Buju.

Although Ian Thomas did not give evidence in court, his briefing, according to the court document filed last Friday, has tremendously benefited the prosecution.

Thomas said in the filing that he did not stand to benefit from any sale of cocaine and that his only function was to seek a buyer for the cocaine that the Government's confidential source had presented.

Both Ian Thomas and James Mack pleaded guilty on the charges against them. They were scheduled to give evidence in Buju's trial but were not called.

BANTON... to be sentenced on June 23

Buju Banton was convicted in February on charges of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilos of cocaine, possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and using the wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence.

The Grammy award-winning entertainer was acquitted of a fourth charge of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Buju Banton is to be sentenced on June 23. He faces up to 15 years in prison.