By: Staff Writer
March 3, 2023
The US State Department in a recently released fact sheet said that thousands of rounds of ammunition was seized in the Caribbean through various means.
The State Department noted that their increased operations have yielded significant results: “In March 2022, through Operation CITADEL, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) deployed agents and analysts throughout the Caribbean Region to bolster firearms smuggling investigations and intelligence sharing capabilities. HSI Operation CITADEL efforts and multiple HSI-led international controlled deliveries resulted in 111 firearm related seizures, to include 446 firearms and 188,256 rounds of ammunition.
“In September 2022, law enforcement officers from 19 Caribbean countries along with INTERPOL; CARICOM; World Customs Organization; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and HSI cooperated on a joint operation that led to the seizure of 350 weapons, 3,300 rounds of ammunition, and 10 tons of cocaine.”
Addressing Firearms Trafficking is a U.S.-Caribbean Priority for the US and for Caribbean leaders alike as CARICOM leaders had met with US Vice President Kamla Harris and told her that they needed help with curbing the amount of weapons originating from the US into the Caribbean.
Philip Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, met with US Vice-President Kamala Harris on January 17 to discuss “the importance … of reducing the flow of guns illegally entering The Bahamas from the United States.”
The Anglophone Caribbean continues to suffer from high rates of violent crime, particularly murders committed with firearms. The situation is only getting worse in 2022 as economic and educational opportunities for many have disappeared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stemming the flow of the “iron river,” which reaches through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, is crucial to reducing bloodshed in the region. Therefore, it is imperative that the United States continues to assist its smaller neighbours with initiatives to reduce the violence currently being unleashed in the Caribbean, especially with efforts to combat drug and firearms trafficking.
The US State Department also said that: “disrupting illicit firearms trafficking in the Caribbean is a shared priority for the United States and our Caribbean partners, and an important aspect of our cooperation to address rising levels of crime and violence in the region.
The US also launched a “Caribbean Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CCGIU), which they hope will lead to many more seizures of illegal firearms and ammunition. “In November 2022, the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), with U.S. interagency support, inaugurated the CCGIU to improve intelligence and information sharing among Caribbean and U.S. law enforcement agencies.
“The CCGIU supports CARICOM Member States with seizing firearms, related parts, and components as well as in identifying, charging, and prosecuting co-conspirators for firearms crimes.
“The CCGIU works with U.S. and international law enforcement partners including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), UK National Crime Agency (NCA), INTERPOL, and the Regional Security System (RSS).”
With regard to regional coordination, the US State Department says that they have participated in various engagements throughout the region and said that in, “May 2019, CARICOM Heads of Government formally adopted the Caribbean Firearms Trafficking Priority Actions, which consist of a list of reforms and regional engagements identified by U.S. and Caribbean experts to effectively address firearms trafficking within the region.
They added: “In 2020, with U.S. support, the CARICOM Implementational Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) developed the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. This framework provides timelines and baselines for implementing the Caribbean Firearms Trafficking Priority Actions.
“To date, 12 Caribbean countries have drafted national action plans (NAPs) under the auspices of the Firearms Roadmap and Priority Actions. The United States stands ready to help countries implement their individualized priorities, plans, and timelines upon completion of their respective national action plans.”