Court hears that gangsters prefer Chinese businessmen

A Chinese businessman in Spanish Town had reportedly tried to contact the reputed leader of the One Don faction of the Clansman Gang, Andre 'Blackman' Bryan, to find out how much he should pay for extortion fee.

A former top-tier member of the gang, who is the prosecution's second star witness, made the revelation in the Home Circuit Court yesterday while the secret recordings which he had made were being played. During a conversation with Bryan, the alleged don, who was behind bars, was heard asking the witness "Yuh nuh chat back to the n***a wid de wholesale?" The witness, when asked what the conversation was about, said that the don was asking about a Chinese businessman who had opened a new store in the area.

Asked by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes how he knew about the information, he said that he was part of a discussion with Bryan as the gang was supposed to collect extortion fees from the businessman. He further shared that "The Chiney man try to get to Blackman to find out how much money him must pay."

However, during the recorded conversation, the witness was heard telling Bryan that he did not get back to the businessman as he did not have his number, but promised to get the number and finalise it. The witness then asked the alleged don who he was going to send to collect the money and Bryan told him that he planned on sending him as it was a risk to send 'Papa' [defendant Joseph McDermott].

"Yeah man me ago mek a link and mek sure di ting sort out properly yuh zeet," the witness then assured him. On Monday, alleged second in command of the gang City Puss was heard in one of the recordings praising the Chinese operators for their response to the gang's demand for extortion.

"Yuh know sey de Chinese dem more loyal dan di dutty b********h n***a ya," he said. "Yuh f*** fi know mi rather deal wid de Chiney dem dan anybody," City Puss said. According to him "real society people" were easier to deal with than the locals.

City Puss mentioned the Chinese after he was informed that a loans agency from which he used to collect a monthly extortion fee of $150,000 had been sold to a Trinidadian company. City Puss recalled that on one occasion he had called the owner and roughed him up over the phone.

"Yeah mi page him wicked, a bawl di man a bawl, enuh, dog," he said while pointing out that the deal was to collect $200,000 monthly but the owner "bawl down the amount". City Puss, however, told his cronies that he was going to reach out to the new owner. The trial continues today.