Vivian Blake
Encyclopedia
Vivian Blake was a Jamaica
n drug kingpin
who founded and operated the American
operations of the Jamaican
Shower Posse
.
Blake was born to a poor family in West Kingston
, but was granted a scholarship to a private high school, St. George's College
. He moved to New York
in 1973, where he started distributing marijuana
and cocaine
, eventually expanding his network nationwide.
According to New York Daily News columnist Patrice O'Shaughnessy, in a column printed on March 30, 2010, Blake is credited with the dubious distinction of being “one of the creators of crack.”
During the 1980s, also according to O'Shaughnessy, Blake was responsible for flooding Bronx neighborhoods such as Soundview, Crotona Park and Bronx River with tons of cocaine and crack cocaine.
Blake and other gang members were charged in a multiple killing in Miami, but he escaped apprehension by traveling to Jamaica. After later charges were added, he was extradited to the United States in 1999. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering and conspiracy, and admitted to his role in the gang. He was sentenced to 28 years, but was released on parole after eight.
After being released from prison, Blake returned to Jamaica.
Blake died on March 21, 2010 at the age of 53 after being admitted to University Hospital of the West Indies for a heart attack
. At the time of his death, he was suffering from kidney disease and undergoing dialysis
.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n drug kingpin
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
who founded and operated the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
operations of the Jamaican
Jamaican Posse
Jamaican posses, often referred to simply as posses, are a loose coalition of gangs, based predominantly in Kingston, London, the New York City area and Toronto, Canada, first being involved in drugs and gun-running in the early 1980s...
Shower Posse
Shower Posse
The Shower Posse is a Jamaican posse which is involved with drug and arms smuggling. Its home is in Tivoli Gardens in Jamaica, but it primarily operates in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania, where it is one of the most powerful posses. There are differing reports on the origin of the...
.
Blake was born to a poor family in West Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, but was granted a scholarship to a private high school, St. George's College
St. George's College, Jamaica
St. George's College is a Roman Catholic high school in Kingston, Jamaica.-History:The school was founded on September 2, 1850 by a group of 21 Spanish Jesuits who had been expelled from Colombia because of their religious faith. The Colombian Government gave them approximately 9 hours to leave the...
. He moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1973, where he started distributing marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, eventually expanding his network nationwide.
According to New York Daily News columnist Patrice O'Shaughnessy, in a column printed on March 30, 2010, Blake is credited with the dubious distinction of being “one of the creators of crack.”
During the 1980s, also according to O'Shaughnessy, Blake was responsible for flooding Bronx neighborhoods such as Soundview, Crotona Park and Bronx River with tons of cocaine and crack cocaine.
Blake and other gang members were charged in a multiple killing in Miami, but he escaped apprehension by traveling to Jamaica. After later charges were added, he was extradited to the United States in 1999. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering and conspiracy, and admitted to his role in the gang. He was sentenced to 28 years, but was released on parole after eight.
After being released from prison, Blake returned to Jamaica.
Blake died on March 21, 2010 at the age of 53 after being admitted to University Hospital of the West Indies for a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. At the time of his death, he was suffering from kidney disease and undergoing dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
.