Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is attempting to discourage refugees from fleeing to his state as the crisis in Haiti worsens. According to analysts, because of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission stopping a boat carrying migrants and firearms off the coast of Florida, guns from Florida are also being sent to Haiti. A UN report from 2023 revealed that most violent Haitian gangs are armed with weapons they purchased in the US, particularly FL guns.
Federal convictions have resulted from recent FBI operations and U.S. Department of Justice prosecutions against Florida individuals who were allegedly purchasing powerful firearms to supply Haitian gangs.
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Former FBI agent Jim Derrane told a news team when questioned that there was “kind of a perfect storm” surrounding law enforcement’s efforts to stop the smuggling of firearms.
“These international gangs and these criminal organizations have very sophisticated means and networks to be able to facilitate smuggling, whether it’s through shipments, out of the ports, airlines, different things like that. Haiti has a very open border as well,” he stated.
The infamously vicious 400 Mawozo Gang’s self-described king entered a guilty plea earlier this year for his part in a complex plot to transport weapons illegally from Florida to the island.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Joly Germaine planned the unlawful weapons transactions to supply the same gang that is charged with kidnapping sixteen Americans.
In what is being called an unlawful strawman scam, the FBI detained two residents of Florida for buying high-power rifles, pistols, and shotguns from Florida gun stores near Orlando and transporting them to Haiti.
Jocelyn Dor, one of those residents, received a five-year jail sentence on February 28.
Derrane stated, “In this case, the individual went in knowing they were going to provide the guns to somebody else, particularly somebody else in a foreign country, and attested to the fact that they were going to buy it for themselves. So, you know, there are numerous gun laws, even in the ‘lax gun law states.’ And it is incumbent to enforce the laws that we have, to minimize the smuggling as much as possible.”
It is anticipated that Germaine will receive a sentence in federal court in May.
