Leader of Haiti's most violent gang indicted in the U.S. 

Haiti’s 400 Mawozo gang leader and three other individuals were indicted in federal court and charged with criminal conspiracy for smuggling weapons to aid the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. 

The 400 Mawozo gang is one of Haiti’s most feared criminal organizations. The gang is famous for having kidnapped 17 American and Canadian missionaries last year and holding them captive for two months. Last week, the 400 Mawozo also kidnapped a Dominical Diplomat. 

“The indicted are Germine Joly (identified by U.S. authorities as Joly Germine) also known as “Yonyon,” 29, a Haitian national; Eliande Tunis, 43, a U.S. citizen, of Pompano Beach; Jocelyn Dor, 29, a Haitian citizen who had been residing in Orlando, and Walder St. Louis, 33, a Haitian citizen who had been residing in Miami. They are charged with conspiring to violate export control laws to defraud the U.S., violating export control laws , smuggling and laundering money,” reported The Miami Herald. 

Joly had been in prison in Port-Au-Prince’s National Penitentiary. On Tuesday, Joly was extradited to the U.S., escorted by federal agents with an international warrant. 

"Germine Joly aka 'Yonyon' was extradited to the United States of America on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, aboard a special plane (FBI) following a request for judicial assistance issued by the U.S. judicial authorities," Haiti's National Police said in a statement.

Joly allegedly directed operations such as the kidnapping of the missionaries or the smuggling of arms from jail using cellphones, according to the indictment. 

Furthermore, the Florida residents falsified paperwork from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to buy firearms, which were later taken to Haiti in barrels. 

Authorities have identified at least 17 shotguns, pistols, and rifles that were purchased and given to the gang between September and November 2021. 

In the past few months, the gang has clashed with a rival group, causing violence in Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, and thousands to flee their homes. Since August 29, around 39 civilians have been killed in the turf war between the gangs and at least 9,000 have been displaced.