Buju Arrives Home In Jamaica!

Infamous … Banton performing in 1993. Photograph: David Corio/Redferns

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Grammy Award-winning reggae artiste Buju Banton has arrived in the island. 

The entertainer, who was released from the McRae Correctional Facility in Georgia this morning, arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston about an hour ago.

Buju Banton in 2003: raunch and gravel Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

Scores of people had gathered outside the exit of the airport hoping to see the Grammy Award-winning singer, however, reports reaching OBSERVER ONLINE are that the entertainer was routed through another exit and taken to the police Harman Barracks for processing.

Buju Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, was arrested on cocaine charges in 2009 and given a mandatory 10-year sentence in 2011.

He was previously scheduled to be released in 2019, however, his release day was last year changed to December 8, 2018.

Banton’s mugshot after being arrested for conspiracy to deal cocaine. Photograph: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

Days after his conviction, Buju Banton won a Grammy Award for his album Before Dawn. His other albums include 'Til Shiloh (1995), Inna Heights (1997) and Unchained Spirit (2000).