A 'Yardie' is member of an international gang of Jamaican
criminals who sell drugs and violence.
The oragin of the term stemms from the slang name given to
occupants of government yards in Trenchtown, a neighborhood in West
Kingston, Jamaica.
Trenchtown was originally built as a housing project following
devastation caused by Hurricane Charlie. Each development was built
around a central courtyard with communal cooking facilities. Due to
the poverty endemic in the neighborhood, crime and gang violence
became rife, leading the occupants of Trenchtown to be in part
stigmatized by the term "Yardie".