Crime Does Pay, After All

Remember the cocaine smuggling case reggae star Buju Banton is facing in Florida? Well, we have a feeling he may have been set up.

In preparation for Buju's April 19 trial, lawyers for both sides appeared in a Tampa court this morning where it was revealed that the informant, who helped federal agents build a drug case against Buju, is/was a crook and has been paid $3.3 million for helping law enforcement in numerous cases over several years. $3.3 million!!!

Here's some other information about the informant the Tampa Tribune reported.

• He was paid more than $35,000 for his cooperation in the case against Buju and is also paid on a contingency basis, receiving a portion of the money the judge orders the defendant to forfeit.

• He was convicted in South Florida in 1993 of distributing cocaine in a case that brought a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 10 years.

• He transported large amounts of cocaine and marijuana between 1984 and 1993.

• He is a legal, permanent resident of the United States from Colombia and was granted that immigration status after law enforcement requested it.

• When he testified in one case, a judge questioned his credibility.

• He is involved in a tax dispute with the IRS.

• He has worked with the prosecutor in Buju's case for more than 10 years.

Buju's defense team is planning to go hard at this informant when he takes the witness stand, and we have a feeling Buju will be exonerated. Then again, he is a black man going up against the system and we all know how those cases usually turn out. Not good.


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