LARGEST HAITIAN NATIONAL POLICE DRUG SEIZURE - 1,045 KILOS OF COCAINE
- Michael Thervil
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written by Michael Thervil
[Largest Haitian National Police drug seizure] Sunday's maritime drug bust left two Jamaicans dead due to jumping overboard and drowning, one Jamaican shot and killed, a one Bahamian shot and now in the custody of the Haitian National Police; even more law enforcement agencies are watching Haiti as Haiti is well known as a transshipment hub for many illegal activities that range from the trafficking of people to guns and narcotics.
It was off the coast of Île de la Tortue (Turtle Island) which would mark one of the Haitian National Police's biggest drug bust in a decade which led to the interdiction and confiscation of 1,045 kilos of cocaine with a street value of well over $32 million, were suspected by Haitian authority to be transported to the Dominican Republic which was to be shipped to the United States, United Kingdom, and various other locations in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Depending on the grade (purity), location, skill of the trafficker, and destination; the cost of a kilo of cocaine falls between $28,000-$70,000 internationally. Prompting the deaths of three Jamaicans and the shooting of one Bahamian was the interdiction of the one of three boats, in which the boat that was successfully hailed led to the exchange of gunfire between the traffickers who shot first and the Haitian National Police in Haitian waters. Although the American DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) doesn’t have a presence in Haiti, it’s still observing the situation because of the reach of the illicit narcotics trade that tends to reach the United States. The United Nations office on drug and crime also continues to observe the situation closely as well.
The joint operation that led to the seizure of the vessels and the confiscation of the cocaine was due to the efforts of the Haitian National Police, Departmental Law Enforcement Unit (UDMO), Coast Guard Agents, and the Haitian Drug Trafficking Brigade (BLTS). While the Haitian National Police celebrate the success of this interdiction, it’s expected that the success of their joint operation will be short lived.
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Haiti is well known to be a haven for the transshipment of all kinds of illicit activities. With that, it should be understood that by Haiti being considered one of the biggest transshipment hubs in the Caribbean, the revenue that comes from its illegal transshipment activities help fuel the gang violence and criminal operations that have been going on for decades. It can be said that without the operations of transshipment activities many Haitians would be in even more financial destitute than what they already are in.
With rampant corruption within both the Haitian government and its law enforcement agency, its can easily be predicted that this interdiction executed by the Haitian National Police will/has paled in comparison to the number of boats that are ready to sail the high seas to traffic narcotics to their consumer base around the world. In short what we are saying here is that this bust by the Haitian National Police like all law enforcement agencies barely makes a dent in the international drug trafficking trade. To put this in the proper context, this interdiction is seen to be more of an annoyance than anything.
Remember the Haitian National Police spotted three boats and were only able to seize one. How this can be is currently unknown given the fact that this was a “joint operation”. Maybe the Haitian National Police needed more resources or maybe the Haitian National Police just got lucky since they had just caused a fire on the boat which probably slowed the vessel down just enough for the Haitian National Police to seize it. Who knows? What is known is that there are hundreds of boats ready to set sail and hundreds of traffickers ready to keep the illicit drug market going into perpetuity.