The Suspected Jamaican drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke has been extradited to the US, where he is wanted on drug and gun-trafficking charges.

Coke, who was wanted by the Southern District of New York on drug and weapons charges, was captured by Jamaican police on the outskirts of Kingston. His attorney had contacted U.S. authorities on Monday advising that Coke was considering turning himself in to the U.S. It was the first communication that U.S. authorities had had with Coke’s attorney in several weeks.

Mr Coke was taken to the airport in Kingston after waiving his rights to challenge the extradition.

He faces life in prison if convicted on charges filed against him in New York.

Attempts to capture him in May led to clashes in which scores of people died. He was finally detained on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Mr Coke, aged 41, made a brief appearance before a Jamaican judge to announce that he was waiving his rights to challenge the extradition.

Mr Coke said he believed he could win the case in the Jamaican courts.

But he added that he would go to the US to stand trial for the sake of his family, the people of Tivoli in west Kingston and Jamaica.

“Everyone, the whole country, has been adversely affected by the process that has surrounded my extradition and I hope that my action today will go some way towards healing all who have suffered,” he said in a statement.

US Marshals, DEA agents and federal prosecutors had worked hand in hand with senior Jamaican military and police officials in an effort to effect Coke’s surrender and extradition.

The US justice department says Mr Coke is one of the world’s most dangerous drug lords, but his supporters say he is a community leader.

Mr Coke is accused of being the leader of the notorious Shower Posse, which US authorities say operates an international drug and gun smuggling network. It has also been blamed for numerous murders.

The pursuit of Mr Coke has shed light on the links between politicians and gang leaders in Jamaica.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding is said to have relied on Mr Coke to turn out the vote at election time in the Tivoli Gardens district he represents in parliament, and which the Shower Posse controls.

When Mr Coke was first indicted in the US last August, Mr Golding initially fought the extradition, arguing that it was based on flawed evidence.

But after months of delays and amid growing local and international criticism, he agreed to extradite the suspect and signed an arrest warrant in May.

However, gunmen loyal to Mr Coke in Tivoli Gardens barricaded the streets and mounted attacks against the police.

A state of emergency was declared and more than 70 people were killed in four days of gun battles, during which Mr Coke was able to escape. The security forces have since been accused of using excessive force.

The police and military effort to capture Coke and curb the violence brought thousands of uniformed men into Kingston’s streets. Jamaican authorities allege that Coke brought in gunmen from other parts of Jamaica and other Caribbean islands to fight back and help prevent his capture.

The 2010 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards unfolded as expected today, with top honors going to Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama ‘The Hurt Locker.’

The film swept the ceremony, winning six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Bigelow), Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay.

‘Avatar’–which is viewed as ‘The Hurt Locker’’s biggest threat for the Best Picture Oscar–won two awards, for Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects.

Movie director Kathryn Bigelow made history and added to her awards season haul Sunday as ‘The Hurt Locker’ soundly trounced ‘Avatar‘ at the UK’s top movie prize giving.

Meanwhile, the Best Actor race saw its first surprise of the season, as Colin Firth upset Oscar frontrunner Jeff Bridges for his performance in the Tom Ford drama ‘A Single Man.’

With the Oscars less than two weeks away, the Iraq war drama came away with six gongs — including best film and best original screenplay. ‘Avatar,’ directed by Bigelow’s ex-husband James Cameron, had to settle for two prizes: special effects and production design.

Bigelow did not realize she had made history — and become the first female to win the directing award–until after she had picked up her gong.

“It’s a true, true, true honor,” said Bigelow after her win. ” … I didn’t realize that this was a first. So, hopefully, I can only say that it’s the first of many.”

All eyes were on the rivalry between Cameron’s record-breaking 3D epic ‘Avatar’ and Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker,’ to see who would come out on top in what has been dubbed the “the battle of the exes.” ‘Avatar,’ which is the highest-grossing film in cinematic history, and ‘The Hurt Locker’ both had eight nominations going into the awards.

‘The Hurt Locker’s’ BAFTA success adds further momentum to Bigelow’s chances of making history by picking up a best director Oscar–although BAFTA voters often go their own way and choose different winners to their American counterparts.

Avatar is a lively action film that uses mind blowing effects by utilising a brand new generation of exceptional effects, Avatar is said to presents a very immersive cinematic experience never seen before, as it is new revolutionary technology which was invented for this film.

Avatar and its 3-D technology is tipped to be ‘the future of the movies’.

Watch the Avatar trailer.

The wait to watch Avatar is nearly over; the film is released on the 16^th of December (UK and Europe) and the 18^th of December in the US.

Avatar Video game was released on December 1st. And now that the game has been released, the reviews have started coming in.