Overview:
Federal prosecutors in Florida have charged three individuals in an alleged firearms smuggling operation involving weapons shipped from Miami and destined for Haiti. Authorities say the defendants purchased dozens of firearms, concealed them in a shipping container labeled as household goods, and coordinated travel linked to the shipment, which was intercepted in the Dominican Republic.
NEW YORK — Three Haitians have been charged with unlawfully smuggling firearms after a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida returned an indictment tied to a weapons shipment bound for Haiti, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Francesca Charles, 28, a U.S. citizen residing in Florida; Jacques Pierre, 32; and his brother Jeff Pierre, 34, both Haitian citizens living in Florida, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods and unlawfully ship firearms, smuggling goods from the United States, and illegally shipping firearms. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, authorities in the Dominican Republic intercepted a shipping container in February 2025 containing 18 rifles, five handguns, firearm magazines, more than 36,000 rounds of ammunition, and a silencer. The container, shipped from Miami, was destined for Haiti. The weapons and ammunition were not declared on the shipping manifest, which instead listed household goods.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) determined that the defendants had purchased at least 20 of the 23 firearms recovered from the container. Middle District prosecutors say that records show the group bought at least 46 firearms between May 2024 and February 2025, many matching the make and model of the seized weapons. Thirty-seven firearms were purchased between August 2024 and February 2025 alone.
Federal agents also allege that Jacques Pierre purchased two Barrett .50-caliber rifles, high-powered, military-style weapons often mounted on vehicles. One of those rifles was recovered in the seized shipment, according to prosecutors.
Travel and shipping records indicate the defendants allegedly coordinated firearm purchases with shipments to Haiti and traveled to Haiti around the time the containers were expected to arrive. Records further show the defendants traveled to the Dominican Republic three days before authorities intercepted the shipment.
The indictment is being investigated by the ATF and HSI, with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince and the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
At a high-level meeting in New York last September, ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. officials announced measures to curb the flow of illegal firearms into Haiti and Caribbean countries.
U.S. courts have recently sentenced several traffickers, including Jean Wiltene Eugene, who shipped firearms hidden in vehicles, and Michael Adrian Nieto, a former police officer convicted of reselling dozens of weapons to Haitian and Dominican buyers. Haitian American Bazile Richardson from North Carolina was also charged for allegedly financing Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier’s gang,
Federal officials said the Florida case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal firearms trafficking, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime.
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