Who Is Arming Haiti’s Gangs? International Supply Routes, Diverted State Ammunition, and Impunity
Who Is Arming Haiti’s Gangs? International Supply Routes, Diverted State Ammunition, and Impunity
*Researcher: Wilsonn Telimo Lwi, President of ITIYAyiti*
Haiti’s gang violence is sustained by supply chains that extend beyond its borders and reach into its own security institutions. United Nations investigations document weapons trafficked from the United States, ammunition diverted from Dominican security-force stockpiles, and supplies originating from Haitian public inventories recovered from armed groups.
These findings demand scrutiny of the people who purchase, transport, divert, and distribute weapons—not only the gangs that use them.
*The United States: Supply Routes and Enforcement Gaps*
Established trafficking routes connect the United States to Haiti, directly and through the Dominican Republic. Firearms and ammunition are concealed among secondhand goods, commercial cargo, and shipments presented as humanitarian supplies. U.S. authorities have intercepted shipments, but these routes continue to operate (United Nations, 2025).
The UN’s 2026 final report describes trafficking networks whose operations are often relatively unsophisticated. Some suspects purchased firearms under their own names, leaving identifiable records. Investigators nevertheless identified weaknesses in inspection and enforcement.
At the time the report was drafted, the United States had not responded to the Panel’s weapons-tracing requests, although it had provided information about ongoing judicial cases. This distinction matters: enforcement activity was occurring, but investigators still lacked requested tracing information (United Nations Security Council, 2026b).
Among the weapons documented were *Barrett 82A1 .50-caliber anti-materiel rifles* trafficked from the United States. These findings demonstrate the destructive capacity that trafficking networks can place within gangs’ reach (United Nations Security Council, 2026a).
*The Dominican Republic: Transit Routes and Diverted Ammunition*
The Dominican Republic is both a transit country and a location where ammunition has been diverted from security-force inventories.
An investigation and inventory of Dominican police stocks identified *908,001 diverted items, mostly ammunition*, including:
- More than *489,000 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition*.
- *230,000 rounds of 5.56 × 45-millimeter ammunition*.
- *26,000 rounds of 7.62 × 39-millimeter ammunition*.
- *93,000 12-gauge shotgun shells*.
Investigators could not establish how much of this material reached Haiti. Some Dominican security experts considered Haiti a likely destination for much of the rifle ammunition because domestic demand was limited and Haitian gangs used those calibers. The UN also acknowledged Dominican authorities’ cooperation with its investigation (United Nations Security Council, 2025).
Separately, ammunition recovered from 400 Mawozo included rounds marked *ERD*, referring to the Dominican Army. Dominican authorities identified a Colombian manufacturer as the source of that procurement. Older Dominican-made .50-caliber ammunition was also documented, but its precise chain of custody remained unclear (United Nations Security Council, 2026a).
These findings warrant investigation of specific diversion networks. They do not establish that the Dominican government, as a whole, intentionally supplies Haitian gangs.
*Haiti: Public Stockpiles Supplying Armed Groups*
The recovery of public-security ammunition from gangs raises urgent questions about stockpile protection and internal accountability.
The UN’s 2026 final report found that *70 percent of 336 rounds of 7.62 × 51-millimeter ammunition* documented after seizures from the Jamesley and Krache Dife gangs had been diverted from Haitian National Police stocks. This percentage concerns that particular sample, not all gang ammunition.
The report identifies both battlefield losses and trafficking by corrupt officers. Despite arrests, illicit resale of unused ammunition continued (United Nations Security Council, 2026b).
Investigators also documented gang-held 5.56 × 45-millimeter ammunition consistent with supplies procured by Haiti’s armed forces from Brazil’s Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos. Brazilian authorities confirmed a July 2023 contract for *1.5 million rounds*.
This evidence requires examination of procurement, transfers, storage, and distribution. It does not establish that the entire shipment reached gangs or identify every person responsible (United Nations Security Council, 2026a).
*An Arms Embargo Requires Accountability*
Interceptions alone cannot dismantle trafficking networks if investigations fail to produce consequences. The UN documents cases in Haiti involving released suspects, interference by influential actors, and failed judicial follow-through (United Nations Security Council, 2026b).
A durable response must combine border enforcement with secure inventories, timely tracing cooperation, protection for investigators, and prosecution wherever the evidence leads. Additional security personnel cannot substitute for these responsibilities.
Haiti needs an effective arms embargo—and an end to the impunity that allows weapons suppliers and corrupt intermediaries to continue operating.
*References*
United Nations. (2025, October 17). *Haiti is under a UN arms embargo: So why are 500,000 illegal weapons in circulation?* https://haiti.un.org/en/304494-haiti-under-un-arms-embargo-so-why-are-500000-illegal-weapons-circulation
United Nations Security Council. (2025). *Interim report of the Panel of Experts on Haiti submitted pursuant to resolution 2752 (2024)* (S/2025/356). https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?l=en&s=S%2F2025%2F356&t=pdf
United Nations Security Council. (2026a). *Interim report of the Panel of Experts on Haiti submitted pursuant to resolution 2794 (2025)* (S/2026/241). European Country of Origin Information Network. https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2139062.html
United Nations Security Council. (2026b). *Final report of the Panel of Experts on Haiti submitted pursuant to resolution 2794 (2025)* (S/2026/714). HaitiDocs. https://www.haitidocs.org/doc/un-panel-experts-2026
Haiti is under a UN arms embargo: So why are 500,000 illegal weapons in circulation?
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