Vybz Kartel Responds To Jamaica Observer Article That Claimed He Was A Police Informant
Incarcerated Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel has once again expressed outrage with a story that the Jamaica Observer ran six years ago, which claimed that he cooperated with police in a bid to gain his freedom or a reduced sentence.
It was a 2014 article claiming that he provided information to the police authorities about the whereabouts of several wanted men in Portmore, St. Catherine. According to the report, Kartel’s statement led to the recovery of 17 illegal firearms and the subsequent arrest of several wanted men.
The Dancehall deejay screenshot a clip of the article and posted it on his Instagram page recently to completely refute the story. Along with more than two-dozen laughing face emojis, he wrote the caption, “Suck u mada Babylon. Mi an unuh a frien?” to explicitly declare he is by no means ‘friendly’ with the police and also implying that he did no such thing.
In a deleted Instagram post, Kartel further added, “First of all dis an old article. 2nd dem bowaz bwoy de know who mi is. So A mus public dem a try impress…. #clans #1dons #wellpowerful #suckumudababylon.”
The Observer article noted their source as “a highly-placed police top brass” and further disclosed that “the move by the embattled entertainer was part of an effort to gain his freedom or at least a vastly reduced prison sentence.”
Well, we’ve not seen that happen, as Kartel is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of Clive’ Lizard’ Williams, who police say was beaten to death at a house in Havendale, St Andrew, on August 16, 2011. The deejay will be eligible for parole in 2046.
Kartel’s response to the old Observer story came about because the article was again making the rounds on social media in light of the recent news of Tommy Lee Sparta’s apparent cooperation with the police in what has become a tireless investigation into his affiliation with gangs in Flankers, Montego Bay.
A week ago, the Jamaican police authorities disclosed that Tommy Lee was escorted into the Corporate Area and assisted in searches that were conducted at several apartments. While police did not disclose the role that Sparta played in the searches, they did state, in the same release, that ten suspected affiliates of the St James-based Sparta Gang were arrested.
Despite Lee’s assistance, the deejay is still in police custody. He has spent four weeks behind bars since his arrest on July 7. It also appears that he will have to remain in detention for another few weeks as his tribunal hearing was delayed.
The tribunal sitting will now be heard during the course of three hearing dates, which have all been set for next week. Sparta could be further held for up to 90 days, which would take his incarceration into September as the St James’ parish has an ongoing state of public emergency (SOE).