Major drug bust in Cap-Haïtien exposes growing Caribbean trafficking network

CAP-HAÏTIEN —  Cap-Haïtien police detained three people and seized 425.9 kilograms of cannabis and 525,245 gourdes, or roughly $4,000 (USD), during a 3:00 a.m. raid on a residence in the northern Petite-Anse coastal community on July 27, marking one of the largest cannabis busts in the area this year.

The suspects—Somane Etienne, 60, Guerda Pierre, 38 and Myrlande Fils-Aimé, 34—were arrested inside the residence, police said. Officers also confiscated three motorcycles, a bicycle, a solar panel, a television and several cellphones.

The operation was carried out jointly by Haiti’s Office for the Fight against Drug Trafficking (BLTS), Departmental Judicial Police Service (SDPJ), the Unité Départementale de Maintien de l’Ordre (UDMO) and the Intervention Brigade (BI). Judge of Peace Court Dieula Benjamin recorded legal observations at the scene.

BLTS, which is still investigating the case, has not yet responded to The Haitian Times’ requests for comments on the drug bust and additional details about police actions, as Haiti increasingly serves as a transit hub for regional trafficking.

In a recent interview with The Haitian Times, former colonel of Haiti’s Armed Forces (FAd’H), Himmler Rébu, said that since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, Haiti has been increasingly turning into a narco-state. 

 “All the organized disorder in the country is a movement that first covers up the major trafficking at the international level,” said Rébu, leader of the political party Grand Rally for the Evolution of Haiti (GREH).

 “This isn’t just about local drug dealers anymore—it’s a transnational network operating through Haiti’s ports and airspace under gang protection.” 

Caribbean ties emerge as Haiti is increasingly becoming the hub in the drug corridor

The Cap-Haïtien operation comes just nine days after two Haitians—Shelande Dorelien, 27, and Wisler Laveis, 25—were arrested in Toms River, St. Andrew, Jamaica, with over 3,000 pounds of cannabis worth approximately $58,100 (USD), according to the Caribbean National Weekly. Authorities charged them with trafficking, dealing and conspiracy to export cannabis.

The pair, who reportedly entered Jamaica illegally, are believed to be part of a regional trafficking ring that includes Bahamian and Jamaican operatives. Drug enforcement experts say Port-au-Prince’s unsecured coastline—where about 90 percent of the city is under gang control—has become a key transfer point.

A record-breaking cocaine seizure off Tortue Island also raises the stakes.

On July 13, Haitian police seized 1.05 tons of cocaine off the northern coast of Tortuga Island—Haiti’s largest-ever cocaine bust. A Jamaican man was killed and a Bahamian wounded in the operation, authorities confirmed.

The boat was allegedly headed for the United States via the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Prosecutor Jeir Pierre said law enforcement had monitored the route for years but was hindered by a lack of resources.

The recent uptick in drug trafficking cases suggests Haiti is playing an increasingly central role in Caribbean smuggling routes. The cannabis and cocaine intercepted over the past two weeks point to growing ties between Haitian operatives and regional networks such as Jamaica’s Shower Posse and other transnational crime syndicates.

In February 2023, a Jamaican man, Mitchell Winston Evan, 47, and a Haitian, Kerby Fils-Aimé, 21, were arrested in Fort Saint-Michel, near Cap-Haïtien, with 192.5 kg of cannabis.  Both men were charged, but the case remains under review.

Experts warn that increasing youth cannabis use in Haiti, combined with weak border security and widespread corruption, has made the country an ideal hub for trafficking. Human rights groups have also voiced concerns about drug profits being channeled to gangs controlling large swaths of the capital, the Artibonite Department—a bridge to the north—and the Central Plateau near the border with the Dominican Republic to the east.

While Haiti’s BLTS has yet to comment on the Cap-Haïtien case, the pattern of seizures suggests enforcement agencies will need regional coordination to combat an increasingly transnational drug trade.

Editor’s Note:Daniella Saint-Louis, collaborator of The Haitian Times in Haiti, contributed to this reporting.

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