(AllHipHop News) Jury selection will start today (September 20th) in the federal cocaine trial against Jamaican superstar reggae singer, Buju Banton. The Grammy-nominated artist is on trial in Federal Court in Tampa, Florida, after he was arrested in December of 2009 for possessing multiple kilos of cocaine. Buju Banton, Mark Myrie, was arrested on December 10th, 2009, after surveillance camera allegedly caught the singer and associates making a drug transaction. Police claim they found the singer inspecting and in possession of 5 kilos of cocaine and charged him with conspiracy to posses and intent to distribute in addition to possession of a firearm during the course of illegal activity.Buju Banton’s lawyers claims the government entrapped the singer because they used a government informant who pressured him to purchase the cocaine. Buju’s lawyers claim that he met the informant during a flight from Madrid, Spain, to Miami, Florida in July of 2009. The informant then subsequently pursued Buju over the next few months until he allegedly purchased the 5 kilos of cocaine. “In addition to refusing to disclose the identity, the government has refused to identify the prior cases in which he has been involved, the outcomes of those cases, the amount of money he has earned making cases for the government, or even the amount he has been paid (or expects to be paid) in this case,” court papers filed in Buju’s defense read.Buju Banton’s trial comes as the singer prepares his latest album Before the Dawn, which is due in stores on September 30th??Buju Banton has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held in Pinellas County Jail in Tampa, Florida, without bail. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the charges.
