Jamaican gang leader Christopher "Dudus" Coke was extradited to the U.S. today immediately after a court hearing. After arriving in the U.S., he faced a trial for alleged drug and weapons trafficking in New York. If convicted, he could receive a life sentence.

Coke is allegedly the head of a crime network that extends from the tiny Caribbean island to Europe and North America. He gave himself up, he said, because he was saddened by the more than 75 lives lost in the fighting in West Kingston, mostly in the stronghold of Tivoli Gardens where he was hiding out.

"I take this decision for I believe it to be in the best interest of my family, the community of western Kingston and, in particular,the people of Tivoli Gardens and above all Jamaica," he said. He said he is confident that he will exonerated and return to his family in Jamaica.

Hours before his extradition, the Jamaican authorities seized Coke's identifiable assets and froze his bank accounts.

Police arrested Coke as he was on his way to the US embassy earlier this week. His plan was to hand himself over to the Americans so as not to face an extradition trial in Jamaica. His father died in mysterious prison fire in 1992 and Coke was uneasy about spending time in a Jamaican prison while awaiting his extradition trial.