Haiti's former President Martelly is hit with US sanctions and accused of aiding and abetting drug trafficking

The United States has imposed sanctions on former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly, accusing him of abusing his influence to facilitate drug smuggling into the United States and supporting gangs that contributed to instability in the Caribbean.

WASHINGTON– The United States imposed sanctions on former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly on Tuesday, accusing him of abusing his influence to facilitate drug smuggling into the United States and supporting gangs that contributed to the instability of the Caribbean country.

Bradley T. Smith, assistant secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the move “underscores the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti.”

Gang violence is breaking out in Haiti, with police using tear gas on peaceful protesters as they plead with law enforcement to help stop gangs using violence to take control of entire neighborhoods.

Hundreds of police officers from Kenya have arrived in Haiti as part of a United Nations-backed mission led by the East African country to crack down on the gangs.

According to a United Nations report released in July, more than 300,000 children have been displaced in Haiti since March due to gang violence. Many of them are living in makeshift shelters, including schools with poor sanitation conditions, putting them at risk of disease.

Martelly, who served as president from 2011 to 2016, was already sanctioned by the Canadian government in November 2022 for financing gangs.

In January, a Haitian judge issued an arrest warrant for Martelly and more than 30 other senior officials on charges of government corruption, particularly the embezzlement of funds or equipment related to Haiti's National Equipment Center.

U.S. State Department official Vedant Patel said Tuesday's sanctions were intended to “promote accountability of all individuals whose activities contribute to gang violence and destabilize the political environment in Haiti, regardless of their rank or position.”

The US is using an executive order from December 2021 that relates to foreign nationals involved in drug trafficking as the basis for imposing the sanctions.

Martelly could not be reached for comment.