US federal officials reveal unprecedented levels of weapons illegally smuggled intoHaiti Did.
Haitian gangs have engaged in brutal and violent firefights that have killed hundreds over the past six weeks.
Police in a Caribbean countrysay weapons smuggled from the United States put them at a disadvantage against already outnumbered gangs. rice field.
At a press conference in Miami, Anthony Salisbury, U.S. Special Agent for Homeland Security Investigations, said, "Not only has the number of weapons increased significantly, but the number of calibers and types of firearms has increased illegally. I saw you do it," he said. trafficked.
Salisbury said the DHS had planned to step up its efforts to stoparms smugglingfrom the United States into Haiti.
stated that South Florida ports were often the starting point for weapons shipped out of the country.
We can do that," said Salisbury.
The sale of small arms and ammunition to non-government-affiliated Haitian groups was banned in a UN Security Council vote earlier this summer, but illegal weapons from the United States have been banned.
Mr Salisbury revealed that one of the arms shipments had been disguised as cargo destined for the "Haiti Episcopal Church."
A sectarian priest was arrested in connection with a smuggling investigation, although the church released a statement following the revelation, saying it did not expect any shipments of weapons, among other things.
Gun smuggling from the United States is not just a problem in Haiti. Mexico also complains that US weapons are flooding the country and flowing into the arms of drug cartels and other gangs, fueling further violence in the country.
The Mexican government estimates that more than 500,000 guns are smuggled into Mexico from the United States each year. Mexican officials have accused lax U.S. gun laws for allowing firearms to flow across the border, and have even sued U.S. gun manufacturers for facilitating violence in the country.
Two years ago, DHS and US Customs and Border Protection launched a "no trace" operation to crack down on arms smuggling out of the United States. Since then, government agencies, along with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have launched 534 investigations into which he seized $29 million from smugglers. In addition to the money, the authorities also raised 12,000 guns, 4,700 magazines and 700,000 rounds of ammunition for Mexico.
