US gun smuggling drives violence in Haiti

Guns smuggled from the US are driving Haiti’s ongoing lawlessness crisis.

Gangs control much of Haiti, with 5,601 people killed last year and an estimated one million having fled their homes. Gang members regularly pose for social media photos with US-made weapons.

The BBC tracked two cases of guns seized in 2024 and found they had, like many others, been brought from Florida. More than 200 shipping containers leave Florida for Haiti each week, and the UN said the “vast majority” are not checked: The BBC noted that dozens of known gang members are listed as recipients of recent shipments from the US. One analyst said “US authorities are not doing enough” to stem the flow of weapons.