United Nations. – More sophisticated weapons are being sold in Haiti, mainly from the United States of America, and especially from Florida, in an environment of growing injustice in the nation, the Caribbean said in a report published by the United Nations on Friday.
The network, which includes members of Haitian residents, usually acquires firearms in the United States and delivers them by land to Haiti from the neighboring Dominican Republic or by air, including using clandestine tracks, mostly by sea, the report said. The Association Office on Drugs and Crime, which is based in Vienna.
“People’s manuals that sell for $400 or $500 at federally licensed gun shops or private gun shows in the United States can fetch up to $10,000 in Haiti,” the document said. Higher caliber rifles, such as AK47s, AR15s, and Galils, are often demanded in groups.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced “an increase in gun trafficking from Florida to Haiti between 2021 and 2022,” with a spokesperson noting that more and more civilian weapons are being seized en route to Haitian ports, except for .308 rifles. guns, and machine guns are also belted.
“Typically, guns are bought by people in US states with less stringent gun laws and fewer purchase restrictions” and then brought to Florida, where they are hidden inside consumer goods, electronic equipment, clothing accessories, frozen clothing and even in food vendors, he added.
The 47-page report, titled “The Evil of Criminal Traffickers in Haiti: Mapping Firearms and Drug Trafficking Trends,” explains the difficulties of navigating the country’s 1,771 kilometers (1,100 miles) coastline and 392 km (243 miles) from the Dominican land border. The republics, at a time when the national guards, are besieging the borders and the sea coast and are under-replenished and “increased by targeted herds”.
Heavily armed groups also control ports, roads, critical infrastructure, customs offices, police stations, courts, prisons, businesses and neighborhoods, the report said. And during 2022 and early 2023, they expanded their control over the main approaches to cities, including the capital, Port-au-Prince.
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