Haiti is in the grip of a security crisis as gangs fight for control of territory in the capital and beyond while continuing to expand their criminal activities.
Insecurity has displaced hundreds of thousands of Haitians, worsening the humanitarian and economic crises facing the country.
There are fears that gangs are increasingly collaborating with international organized crime networks to traffic drugs.
What drugs were seized and where?
A record 1,045 kilograms of cocaine was seized in July 2025 near Haiti’s Tortue Island, off the northern coast of the Caribbean country, during a maritime operation led by Haitian authorities. It is the country’s largest anti-drug operation in more than 30 years.
Barely two weeks later, 426 kg of cannabis were confiscated in Petite-Anse, near Cap-Haïtien still in the north of the country.
Other seizures took place in larger areas. Two Haitian nationals were arrested in Jamaica, also in July, with more than 1,350 kg of cannabis.
Where are the medications shipped?
The cocaine seized in July came from South America and was intended, according to investigators, to be distributed in the Caribbean and the United States.
There is also recent evidence received by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) of medicines shipped to Europe. In August 2025, Belgian authorities seized 1,156 kg of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in a container coming from Haiti.
How are gangs in Haiti involved?
The largest gangs have entrenched themselves along strategic corridors in and out of the capital Port-au-Prince as well as along the border with the neighboring Dominican Republic, controlling key transit routes for drugs as well as other contraband, including weapons.
Control of national roads allows gangs not only to extort the local population, but also to transport drugs with impunity, much of which is destined for export.
Some gangs reportedly extort tolls from boats and engage in armed robbery at sea, thereby exerting some control over trade and trafficking routes.
Armed gang members cross a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince
Intelligence from Jamaica also links gun seizures to an arms-for-drugs trade involving Haitian gangs.
Why has Haiti become a drug transshipment point?
Much of the international drug trade has been concentrated around Turtle Island, which has long been a strategic point for transnational criminal operations, in part due to its considerable size and remoteness.
It has historically been exploited by pirates and, in recent decades, by organized criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking and other illicit activities.
Its geographic position, which provides direct maritime access to the Bahamas and Jamaica, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands, makes it an ideal logistics and storage platform for illicit shipments.
Weapons and ammunition are often transported to Haiti via the same routes as drugs.
Traffickers have been able to exploit Haiti’s difficulties to build a solid judicial and penal system, capable of confronting the expansion of criminal gangs and the illegal activities in which they engage.
What is the regional impact?
Haiti is quickly becoming a hub of a multinational trafficking network. The traffickers involved in the cocaine shipment were Bahamian and Jamaican nationals, highlighting the presence of regional actors collaborating with their Haitian counterparts.
Drug seizures in Haitian waters and in Europe indicate sophisticated, coordinated and established trafficking routes that require a robust regional response from law enforcement.
Newly established drug routes also overlap with migrant smuggling operations, in which Haitian nationals are increasingly involved.
At the same time, drug trafficking contributes to regional instability, undermines governance, disrupts economies and fuels violence.
Ports, trade routes and tourism sectors in affected countries face increased security challenges and reputational damage.
How is UNODC supporting Haiti’s efforts to combat drug trafficking?
UNODC enhances border security, strengthens maritime control, advances intelligence-led policing, and tackles the corruption and financial crime that enable trafficking networks to operate.
The agency’s work begins at the borders, where Haiti remains very vulnerable to illicit flows.
A national border management initiative aimed at increasing interception capacity at ports, airports and land borders was launched at the request of Haitian authorities.
The Haitian Coast Guard repatriates migrants who have fled the country through established trafficking routes.
At sea, UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Program focuses on strengthening the Haitian Coast Guard, which plays a critical role in securing maritime routes heavily used for drug and human trafficking.
On land, UNODC strengthens the capacity of law enforcement to conduct intelligence-led operations against organized criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling, human trafficking and overlapping criminal activities. The exchange of information between Haiti and regional partners, essential for identifying and dismantling cross-border criminal networks, has also been intensified.
Recognizing that drug trafficking is facilitated by entrenched corruption and the laundering of the proceeds of crime, UNODC implements government initiatives aimed at strengthening institutional integrity and accountability.
Specialized courts are being established, capable of handling cases of financial crime, money laundering, gang-related offenses and other sensitive criminal matters, with the aim of reducing impunity and restoring confidence in the justice system.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
