THROUGH his attorney, incarcerated reggae star Buju Banton has expressed gratitude for the efforts of the Jamaican Consulate and some of his well-wishers that resulted in his relocation. The United States Magistrate James Moody sanctioned him being moved from a prison in Texas to a penal facility in Miami, Florida.
Banton is listed as inmate number 86700-004 and is being housed at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Miami, Florida; a low-security facility which houses male inmates. After his sentencing to 10 years on drug-related and conspiracy charges earlier this year, Banton was taken to a hub in Oklahoma, where he spent a few weeks before being whisked to a facility in Texas. He was taken back to Oklahoma and then finally to the facility in Miami.
His attorney David Oscar Markus told the Observer today that Banton, who is registered as Mark Anthony Myrie, was in better spirits since he was taken to South Florida by prison authorities. "Buju has been moved to Miami. We are very thankful and appreciative. He is at FCI-Miami and I have been able to see him. He is in good spirits and is strong. He and I want to especially thank the Jamaican Consulate and Judge Moody for assisting us with this transfer," Markus said.
There were open expressions of fear for his safety while he was housed at the correctional institution in the city of Groesbeck, Texas. That institution is a converted facility which is used to house mainly short-term Mexicans who were in line to be deported; it is reportedly filled with Mexican gangs. "It was a very dangerous environment," a source close to the artiste told the Observer. The FCI Miami is located in south-west Dade County, 30 miles from downtown Miami, the city where the artiste last performed at a benefit concert in February this year.
According to Markus, he will be filing an appeal on the artiste's behalf before a three-member panel of judges in the state of Georgia shortly.