Importance Score: 85 / 100 🟢
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Concealed within cardboard boxes and nestled amongst provisions of food and clothing, a shipment of assault rifles and handguns originating from the United States arrived in Haiti aboard a cargo vessel laden with rust-colored shipping containers. This illicit consignment underscores the role of the U.S. as a primary source of weaponry fueling escalating gang violence and instability in the Caribbean nation, described by one expert as a veritable “supermarket” for illegal arms.
US Weapons Reach Haitian Gangs
A probe conducted by the BBC World Service and BBC Verify meticulously tracked the trajectory of these two containers, exposing the pathways through which American weapons are smuggled into Haiti. The investigation uncovered a network enabled by permissive regulations, insufficient oversight, and suspected graft, allowing traffickers to circumvent a United Nations arms embargo.
Weapons Confiscated by Haitian Authorities
In April 2024, Haitian law enforcement announced the seizure of the aforementioned pair of boxes, which were found to contain a cache of 12 assault rifles, 14 pistols, and 999 rounds of ammunition.
Photographic evidence released by the police clearly identified firearms manufactured by two distinct U.S.-based companies.
The shipment had journeyed approximately 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti, aboard the cargo ship Rainer D.
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Container’s Origin in Florida
According to a United Nations Panel of Experts, responsible for monitoring sanctions on Haiti and tasked with investigating this particular shipment, the shipping container was loaded in a warehouse depot in Fort Lauderdale.
It is commonplace for Haitians residing in the U.S. to send essential food supplies and other goods to their home country.
Anestin Predestin, in an interview with the Miami Herald, stated that he had leased space within the container in late February 2024.
He informed the newspaper that an individual identifying himself as “Diamortino” placed two boxes within the container, declaring they contained “clothing.” Mr. Predestin expressed shock upon later discovering they held weapons.
Attempts by the BBC to contact Mr. Predestin for comment were unsuccessful.
Florida’s Role as a Gun Source
The original point of purchase for the firearms remains undetermined. Haiti lacks domestic gun manufacturing capabilities, and previous seizures have involved weapons traced back to Florida.
Florida, sometimes referred to as the “gunshine state,” was among roughly 30 states where, until recently in 2024, private, unlicensed vendors could legally sell firearms, including at gun shows and online, without mandatory background checks. President Joe Biden has since enacted stricter national regulations to address this issue.
The UN panel indicated that two Haitian brothers based in the U.S. employed “straw buyers” – individuals who purchase items on behalf of others – to acquire the weapons included in the seized shipment.
Experts note that this method is frequently employed, with firearms often transported in numerous smaller consignments, a practice known as “ant trafficking.”
Shipping Route from Florida to Haiti
Alliance International Shipping Company
Haitian police reports indicate that the container was shipped by Alliance International Shipping, a Florida-based logistics firm.
Alliance International Shipping does not operate its own fleet of vessels to Haiti. Instead, it purchases cargo space on ships and resells it to clients like Mr. Predestin.
Gregory Moraille, the company’s president, asserted in a statement to the BBC that while they provide empty containers to customers, they do not handle the cargo directly.
“Regrettably, we lack effective means to prevent illicit shipments,” he stated, adding that the company cooperates fully with law enforcement and employs a significant number of staff of Haitian descent.
“Sadly, many of our own families have become victims of gun violence in Haiti,” he further commented.
Limited US Outbound Cargo Checks
The BBC contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection to inquire whether the shipment could have been inspected before departing the U.S., but did not receive a response.
The UN panel reported last September that while U.S. inspections had increased, “the vast majority of the 200 containers departing South Florida for Haiti weekly are not subject to inspection.”
Bill Kullman, a former official with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), explained to the BBC that inspections of outgoing cargo are “highly scattershot” due to the “immense” volume of shipments.
Arrival and Discovery in Haiti
Targeted Search by Haitian Police
Haitian police stated that the weapons were discovered during a “targeted search” of the container.
According to the UN panel, a senior Haitian customs official placed one of the boxes containing weapons into his personal vehicle. He was subsequently arrested and dismissed from his position several days later.
Police announced they were seeking Wilmane Jean, identified in customs documentation as the consignee for the shipment – the individual responsible for receiving it.
BBC sources in Haiti indicated that Mr. Jean is a customs broker, currently evading authorities, and suspected of ties to gang activities in northern Haiti.
A prior UN report detailed systemic issues within Haitian customs operations, including limited capacity, corruption among high-ranking officials, and threats and assaults from gangs.
BBC requests for comment from Haitian customs authorities were unanswered.
Gangs’ Control and Escalating Violence
Gang Violence Engulfs Port-au-Prince
Around the time the weapons were concealed within the shipping container, a surge of gang violence swept through Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Gangs forcibly released thousands of inmates from the main penitentiary and blockaded critical infrastructure, including the capital’s ports and airport.
In March 2024, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, unable to return to the country from an overseas trip, agreed to resign from his post.
The UN reported a record 5,601 fatalities attributed to gang violence in Haiti in 2024. UN agencies further estimate that almost ten percent of the population – exceeding one million individuals – have been displaced from their residences, and half of the population is facing severe food insecurity. Kidnapping and extortion are rampant.
Human Cost of Gang Rule
Wilson, a handyman residing in Port-au-Prince, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg while attempting to escape fighting between gangs vying for control of his neighborhood.
“It was complete chaos, everyone fled their homes,” he recounted to the BBC. “My leg gave way. I looked down, and blood was gushing.”
He is currently residing in a school repurposed as a refuge, along with hundreds of other displaced people.
Experts assert that Haitian authorities lack the resources to regain control, despite international security assistance, including a contingent of at least 800 Kenyan police personnel.
Romain le Cour, a Haiti specialist at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, a Geneva-based NGO, states that gangs have expanded their territory in the past six months and now control at least 85% of the capital city.
Gang members routinely post images on social media platforms displaying high-caliber weaponry. Experts informed the BBC that some of the firearms displayed were definitively manufactured in the U.S., and others likely originated there as well.
However, guns and ammunition “continue to arrive,” according to Mr. Le Cour, which serves as “a significant catalyst for violence and instability.”
Scale of US-Haiti Arms Trafficking
Analyzing Shipping Data
To assess the potential extent of trafficking from the U.S. via similar shipping routes, the BBC analyzed customs data provided by CargoFax, a shipping data platform.
A list was compiled of individuals currently under sanctions for alleged gang affiliations in Haiti, as well as others apprehended in Haiti or the U.S. on suspicion of arms trafficking.
These names were cross-referenced against thousands of shipment records from the U.S. to Haiti spanning four years.
The analysis revealed that 26 individuals on the list were identified as consignees for 286 shipments, all occurring prior to the individuals being sanctioned or arrested. The contents of these shipments, however, remain unconfirmed.
Prophane Victor, a former member of Haiti’s parliament later sanctioned by the UN and U.S. for arming gangs and trafficking weapons, was listed as a consignee 24 times. He was detained in Haiti in January.
Addressing Arms Trafficking
Need for Stronger US Measures
“Primarily, U.S. authorities are not doing enough,” asserts Mr. Le Cour.
Mr. Kullman, the former ATF official, points out that U.S. gun dealers are not legally obligated to report suspicious purchasers.
He acknowledges that changes to U.S. gun laws are “politically challenging,” but suggests a voluntary code of conduct for firearms sellers, encompassing measures such as reporting suspicious sales and information sharing, would be beneficial.
Mr. Kullman further suggests that broader implementation of gun registration systems – analogous to car registration – currently in place in a limited number of states, could be “highly beneficial.”
Jonathan Lowy, president of Global Action on Gun Violence, states that gun manufacturers are notified when trafficked guns are under investigation and are aware of dealers supplying guns to traffickers.
“Manufacturers terminating relationships with these dealers would immediately halt the majority of trafficking routes originating from the U.S.”
The BBC reached out to the ATF and the U.S. Department for Homeland Security for comment, but no responses were received.
Mr. Le Cour concludes that while international scrutiny of the issue has intensified, there has been no tangible impact: “We possess the diagnosis, we recognize the symptoms, yet we are failing to implement any meaningful solution.”