Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that an eruption of violence in Kingston, Jamaica has lead to a State of Emergency. More details below:

There’s trouble in paradise for Jamaica’s tourist-friendly image, as gang-related violence in the capital has many vacationers worried about the island’s safety.

On Sunday, Jamaican authorities declared a state of emergency in Kingston after the government’s attempts to extradite an accused drug lord Christopher 'Dudus' Coke to the U.S. were met with street violence.

According to Wayne Cummings, the head of Jamaica’s Hotel and Tourism Association, 300 hotel rooms have already been cancelled since Sunday’s declaration.
 
To quell safety concerns, Cummings says that many hotels have begun to bulk up on security, despite the fact that the violence has not spread to Jamaica’s more touristy north coast.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert on Monday, warning U.S. citizens against travel to Kingston and its surrounding areas because of “escalating violence, shootings and unrest.”

The State Department has also warned travelers that access to Jamaica’s international airport might be blocked by clashes between gangs members and police.

As an extra precaution, the offices of the U.S. Embassy in Kingston are closed on Wednesday, with only essential staff showing up for duty.

Around 44 people have been killed in bloody street battles since the conflict began last week. Supporters of alleged drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke have killed two police officers while their leader remains at large.

Coke is considered by the U.S. to be one of the most dangerous narcotics kingpins in the world, and is accused by the U.S. of leading an international criminal group with dealings in illegal firearms and narcotics.

The recent gang violence has put emphasis on Jamaica’s problems with crime, which, according to the U.S. State Department, are serious concerns for tourists visiting the island. Though most crimes are limited to theft, armed robberies of Americans are not unheard of.

According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, about two-thirds of the 1.8 million tourists who visit Jamaica every year come from the United States.

By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Dudus, the man in the centre of this mess, appear to be unknown to most. Jamaica Observer's take on this:

WITH the immediate threat of the overrun of the capital city by criminals backing Christopher 'Dudus' Coke behind us the million-dollar question Jamaicans were asking yesterday was: "Where is 'Dudus'?"

Officials maintained that they had no clue to the whereabouts of Coke, but in the absence of official information, speculation was rife. Usually accurate Observer sources suggested that the deposed Tivoli Gardens strongman had voluntarily surrendered himself to the United States, which wants him to face trial for alleged trafficking in drugs and guns.

"Dudus" Coke is wanted by US authorities

"The admission by Coke's lawyers that after their meeting with the US embassy in Kingston Monday night 'a window of opportunity' had been opened, is the surest sign that 'Dudus' was ready to hand himself over," the source insisted.

"The view is that Coke feels it is in his best interest to be taken to the US, rather than to a Jamaican jail where he could meet a similar fate as his father, the late Lester Lloyd Coke, alias 'Jim Brown', whom he eventually succeeded as the 'don'.

Jim Brown died in a mysterious fire at the General Penitentiary where he was incarcerated while awaiting extradition.

But there are other claims that Coke might be in Venezuela, whose leader is known to be hostile to the United States. Cynical Jamaicans also insist that Coke was moved out of Tivoli by highly connected individuals, before the military moved in to break down barricades.

Asked if he had heard of the claim that Coke had handed himself in to the US embassy, Information Minister Daryl Vaz said that was the first time he was hearing it.

"I suspect that is a rumour. If it were true I think I would have heard of it. Up till now (Observer press time) we have no idea where he is."

Coke's lawyer, Paul Beswick, who met with the US embassy personnel, said: "I am in no position to answer any question at this time. "I'm sorry."

The US network ABC reported US officials as saying Coke had slipped through the ring of hundreds of soldiers and police and escaped into nearby Denham Town or Jones Town.

WTH! This is crazy... It was suggested on Facebook that a documentary be done to understand why so many are backing a druglord to such a great extent. (Is all of this violence really helping him in any way?) I know I would watch it.