NO EASY ROAD: Cops Raid Buju Banton’s Hotel Room in T&T, Later Apologize

Jamaican reggae and dancehall star Buju Banton had another showdown with law enforcement last month after police raided his hotel room in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital.

However, T&T Police Commissioner Gary Griffith later apologized for the action of his charges on April 20 after nothing illegal was found in Banton’s room.

Banton, who in December was released from a United States prison after serving years on charges connected to illegal drugs, was in T&T to perform on his “Long Walk To Freedom” tour. In a post on the social media site Instagram, Banton was defiant that his efforts to regenerate his career following the prison term would not be thwarted by the indicent. In a thinly veiled response, he also questioned the motives and procedures of T&T’s law enforcement.

“No matter what, they can’t break us,” Banton said. “We see what’s going on. We just want you to know what’s going on. We see what your plan is. How can you obtain a search warrant, for a hotel room, on a Saturday (April 20).”

SORRY

Griffith said he was sorry for the incident and tried to smooth it over by meeting with the artiste.

“Strange enough, that is not the focus of the commissioner of police, but I saw it fit to meet Mr Buju Banton personally to look at the situation, and I think the situation was resolved,” he said.

Banton, who arrived in T&T on April 19, reportedly to a warm public reception, explained that the incident with the police did not affect his feelings for T&T nationals.

“Still got love for you Trinidad,” he said. “They can’t distract us. That’s why we’re here, for you, not them. Peace.”

Meanwhile, the T&T government tried to diffuse the public backlash which followed the raid.

"I have noted that the (police) commissioner gave assurances that the police service will do all that it can to ensure that the remainder of Buju's visit is peaceful and incident free,” a statement from T&T National Security Minister Stuart Young noted. “I welcome this assurance by the commissioner and the men and women of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.”

PERMIT

Banton, along with other reggae stars Luciano and Wayne Wonder, were granted government permission to perform in T&T.

“This permission was granted after due consideration and also an appreciation for our CARICOM stance and commitments,” Young added in his statement.

However, T&T police appears to accept that the incident has been an embarrassment to the country and could possibly set off tensions between T&T and Jamaica.

“Someone obviously dropped the ball,” said Griffith. “It could have caused a major rift between Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.”

He said the Organized Crime and Intelligence Unit, which carried out the raid, would be investigated, overhauled and possibly disbanded.

The incident drew backlash from others in the entertainment industry, including T&T’s Nicky Minaj.

“What they (the police) did is disgusting,” the website 18 Karat Reggae quoted the rapper as saying.