The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is attempting to stop the illegal flow of high-powered weapons from the United States to Haiti, which is plagued by violence and instability caused by armed groups that control more than 90 % of the capital Port-au-Prince.

A United Nations report (2023) identified the United States, particularly Florida, as the main source of firearms and ammunition widely smuggled into Haiti. Today, armed groups are seizing vast territories with sniper rifles, machine guns and other powerful weapons... Special Agent Anthony Solvere of the DHS stressed these "very potent weaponswere far beyond what was traditionally seen in the Caribbean..."

Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher at the Swiss think tank Small Arms Survey, said the smugglers' goal was to hide shipments in order to evade authorities, who face the daunting task of screening millions of shipments in and out of ports "It is effective because authorities can’t possibly screen every shipment that comes into and leaves U.S. ports."

Adding, "The impact of gun smuggling is indisputable in situations like in Haiti [...] If you see the violence and the ability to challenge authority, it’s dependent on access to illegal weapons. They could not do what they’re doing now in terms of seizing control, effectively seizing and controlling territory, challenging control and terrorizing the population if they did not have access to these illegal weapons."

Solvere, head of Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, explained the challenges of detecting these weapons leaving the country, adding that they could be hidden in various ways, including inside consumer products, electronic equipment, garment linings, frozen food items or even the hulls of freighters. Some guns were found hidden in wooden pallets disguised as humanitarian aid.

He added that traffickers are exploiting a loophole that allows goods with a handwritten manifest worth less than $2,500 to avoid inspection, making these packages an ideal place to hide weapons and ammunition...

SL/ HaitiLibre