Ruthless: The Global Rise of the Yardies

Providing an account of Jamaica's criminal gangs - the posses, or Yardies - this book traces their development from their roots in the island's overcrowded shanties in the 1960s to their current position as ruthless drug-dealers throughout the world. Their exodus to the United States began in the late 1970s and continued in the the '80s, marked by the onslaught of crack along the East Coast. Posses are also based in Canada, and they have now moved into Britain. The book examines the effect on Britain's crime scene, and describes their methods and the police efforts to combat them.