Haiti transfers 18 suspects in Jovenel Moïse assassination to US federal custody in Florida

Military transport to Florida

A United States military aircraft transported 18 suspects in the 2021 killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse from Port-au-Prince to Florida on Sunday, 20 September 2026. The defendants face federal charges in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in connection with the assassination plot. Among the 18 individuals sent to the United States is Joseph Félix Badio, a former official in Haiti's anti-corruption unit under the Ministry of Justice, along with former Colombian soldiers. US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones announced the operation, while FBI Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles confirmed that coordinated arrests were carried out domestically and abroad. Quiñones noted that a total of 30 individuals have been indicted in connection with the crime.

Five years later, we are still bringing defendants before American courts, and we are not finished.

Judicial proceedings in Miami

Federal prosecutors established jurisdiction in Florida because the overarching conspiracy was coordinated within the state. In May 2026, four men were convicted in a Miami federal court following a nine-week trial on charges of conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moïse, conspiracy to provide material support, and violations of the US Neutrality Act. All four were tied to CTU, a Florida-based private security firm, and prosecutors showed they were motivated by prospective contracts following Moïse's removal. The group recruited about two dozen Colombian soldiers and provided them with firearms, ammunition, and tactical vests. Five other defendants have already received life sentences in US federal courts, including a former Haitian senator, a Haitian Chilean businessman, a Haitian American, and two Colombian soldiers.

Crisis and institutional vacuum in Haiti

Moïse was 53 years old when he was shot dead overnight between 6 and 7 July 2021 at his private residence in Pelerin 5, situated in the hills above Port-au-Prince. His security detail did not intervene during the assault, while his wife sustained critical injuries. Haitian police initially detained about 40 suspects, including Colombian mercenaries, but the domestic investigation stalled due to institutional failures in the local judiciary. Haiti has not conducted elections since 2016 and remains without an elected head of state, operating under a transitional governing authority. Officials have scheduled legislative and presidential elections, as well as a constitutional referendum, for 13 December 2026, subject to security conditions.

Gang dominance and domestic criticism

The institutional vacuum in Haiti allowed criminal gangs to expand control over 80% to 90% of Port-au-Prince. United Nations data recorded at least 8,100 gang-related killings in 2025, and an International Organization for Migration estimate in June placed the number of internally displaced citizens at nearly 1.5 million out of a national population of 11 million. A United Nations-backed security mission supporting Haitian police will miss its planned full deployment deadline in October. In Port-au-Prince, Pierre Espérance, executive director of the National Human Rights Defense Network, criticized the extraditions as a disgrace for the Haitian justice system and urged comprehensive judicial restructuring so that such trials can take place within Haiti.