Cocaine and cannabis is being imported in Haiti from Jamaica and later transported to the Dominican Republic, Western Europe and, primarily, the United States. Diario Libre points out that most of the cannabis is imported to be sold to tourists in the Dominican Republic.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes recently issued the report: “Haiti’s criminal markets: Mapping trends in firearms and drug trafficking.” The Research and Trend Analysis Branch of the UNODC prepared the 47-page document.
The report found that increasingly sophisticated and high-calibre firearms and ammunition are being trafficked into Haiti amid an unprecedented and rapidly deteriorating security situation.
It highlights that Haiti remains a trans-shipment country for drugs, primarily cocaine and cannabis, which mostly enter the country via boat or plane, arriving through public, private and informal ports and clandestine runways.
The report stresses that Haiti’s borders are essentially porous, and the challenges of patrolling 1,771 kilometers of coastline and a 392-kilometer land border with the Dominican Republic are overwhelming local capacity that is under-staffed and under-resourced and increasingly targeted by gangs.
The report states: “International, regional and national responses have underscored the importance of increasing support to law enforcement and border management. Comprehensive approaches encompassing investments in community policing, criminal justice reform and anti-corruption measures are crucial to delivering sustainable peace and stability in Haiti.”
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UNODC
Diario Libre
17 April 2023