(Reuters) – A Miami court today sentenced Germine “Yonyon” Joly, a former leader of a notorious Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, to 35 years in prison for his role in laundering kidnap ransoms and illegally trafficking dozens of U.S. firearms to Haiti, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.
Joly admitted in a plea document early this year to being part of the a plot to smuggle U.S. firearms to Haiti and helping transfer funds, some of which were proceeds from ransoms obtained by kidnapping U.S. citizens.
The 400 Mawozo gang gained notoriety in April 2021 when they kidnapped five Catholic priests and two nuns – including two French citizens. Six months later, they kidnapped 17 U.S. and Canadian missionaries, including five children – and demanded ransoms of as much as $1 million per hostage.
400 Mawozo’s current leader Joseph Wilson, known as Lanmo Sanjou, is on the FBI’s most wanted list for his involvement in the 2021 kidnappings with a reward of up to $1 million.
U.S. prosecutors said Joly’s gunrunning scheme had resulted in the purchase of at least 24 firearms, including AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a military-grade .50 caliber rifle.
“The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, while other U.S. agencies affirmed plans to better control gunrunning.
U.N. reports have shown that most firearms seized from gangs are smuggled from the United States. Mexico and countries across the Caribbean have pushed for the U.S. to do more to stem the flow of illegal firearms to criminal groups across the region.
Meanwhile, more than half a million people have become internally displaced and hundreds of thousands of have been deported back to Haiti, which is facing a humanitarian crisis due to the gangs which now control most of its capital.
Germine Joly, better known as “Yonyon” (centre) was transferred aboard a special Federal Bureau of Investigation flight on Tuesday, May 3 to the U.S. following a request from the U.S. on April 22. HAITI NATIONAL POLICE
