Jamaican gang leader Christopher Coke pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon to charges of conspiring to sell cocaine and marijuana and firearms trafficking.

The arraignment was routine and uneventful, contrasting with the bloody street battles in Jamaica over the last several weeks between Coke supporters and Jamaican government troops seeking to take him into custody.

During the 20 minute hearing at the Federal Courthouse in lower Manhattan, Coke nodded and waived to a handful of supporters in the courtroom. The only time he spoke was to say “yes,” when asked by the judge if he had seen and discussed the indictment with his court appointed attorney and if agreed to waiving the reading of the charges.
When speaking to the judge Coke was soft spoken and expressed little emotion. Coke wore dark blue prison clothing and was handcuffed when arriving and exiting the courtroom.

Following his arrest by Jamaican authorities Coke did not fight extradition to the U.S., arriving Thursday night on a private jet at a suburban airport outside New York City. The DEA, New York Special Agent in Charge said the arrest of coke “takes one of the world’s most dangerous narcotics kingpins off the streets.”