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===U.S. drug charges===
[[File:Buju Banton mug shot.jpg|thumb|right|
In December 2009, [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] agents remanded Banton to custody in Miami, where the U.S. Attorney charged him with conspiracy to distribute and possession of more than five kilograms of [[cocaine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5978338-504083.html |title=Reggae Star Buju Banton Arrested for 5-Kilo Cocaine Buy, Say Feds |author=Katz, Neil |date=14 December 2009 |work=CBSNews.com |access-date=9 July 2011}}</ref> Banton was then moved to the [[Pinellas County Sheriff's Office|Pinellas County Jail]] where he remained until trial.
A six-day trial in [[Tampa, Florida]] was declared a mistrial on 27 September 2010, after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision.<ref name=Hutcheson>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/article1124448.ece |title=Mistrial declared in drug conspiracy case against reggae star Buju Banton |author=Hutcheson, Nicole |date=28 September 2010 |work=St. Petersburg Times |publisher=TampaBay.com |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001193544/http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/article1124448.ece |archive-date=1 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> During the trial, audio recordings were presented of Banton and a drug-dealer-turned-[[informant|government-informant]] discussing drugs, drug prices and smuggling. Banton was also seen on a video recording meeting the informant in a police-controlled warehouse tasting cocaine from a kilogram bag.<ref name=Hutcheson /> The informant was reportedly paid $50,000 for his work on the case.<ref name=Hutcheson />
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