18 suspects accused in the July 2021 killing of Haiti’s president being extradited from Haiti to US
Haiti assassination case moves into a new phase as 18 suspects head to the United States
Bharatmorningnews.com – Eighteen people arrested in connection with the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse were awaiting extradition to the United States on Sunday, bringing a major development in a case that has long been slowed by Haiti’s collapsing justice system and worsening security crisis.
The suspects are expected to stand trial in Florida, where federal authorities have already pursued a series of cases tied to the plot. Their transfer would shift a significant part of the long-running investigation from Haiti to U.S. courts nearly five years after Moïse was shot dead at his private residence.
Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, described the extraditions as an important step toward broader accountability.
“Today marks the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, to those who financed it, facilitated it, supported it or committed crimes to make it possible. Five years later, we are still bringing defendants before American courts, and we are not finished.”
A sprawling international investigation
Quiñones did not name the 18 individuals awaiting extradition. People still facing proceedings in Haiti include more than a dozen Colombian soldiers, a former Haitian police officer and a former employee of Haiti’s Ministry of Justice who had worked in an anti-corruption unit.
The investigation has involved suspects, companies and alleged organizers in several countries. Federal authorities have indicted 30 people in relation to the killing, while the FBI said arrests took place in both the United States and overseas on Sunday.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles said investigators remain focused on identifying every person who may have benefited from or enabled the assassination.
“Remain steadfast in ensuring that all individuals who allegedly sought profit from the assassination of a head of state are held fully accountable.”
The case has underscored the international reach of the alleged conspiracy. U.S. prosecutors have argued that parts of the planning and financial activity occurred in South Florida, while the attack itself unfolded in Port-au-Prince.
Previous convictions and guilty pleas
The prospective extraditions come as U.S. federal courts continue handling related prosecutions. In May, a Florida jury convicted four men: Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages. Each had pleaded not guilty.
The jury found them guilty on charges involving a conspiracy to kill or kidnap Haiti’s elected president, as well as material support connected to the operation. At least five additional defendants have entered guilty pleas and are serving life sentences.
Christian Sanon, a Haitian-American citizen, remains awaiting trial. Authorities have said alleged conspirators initially selected Sanon as a possible replacement for Moïse. Their alleged plan envisioned Sanon, once in office, granting contracts to CTU for infrastructure work, security forces and military equipment.
Ortiz and Intriago were principals of CTU, a name used for Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security. Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both businesses were based in South Florida.
Other defendants who previously pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court include a retired Colombian army officer and a Haitian-Chilean businessman who had once served as an informant for the U.S. government.
Haiti’s judicial system faced repeated setbacks
For relatives of some of the Colombian soldiers, the extradition process follows years of frustration over delays after the 2021 arrests. Family members had raised concerns about the lack of progress as Haiti’s investigation became entangled in violence, intimidation and institutional instability.
In October 2025, Haitian justice officials sought assistance from the United States and Canada after a local appeals court ordered another investigation into Moïse’s killing. It was the third such inquiry since the assassination.
Earlier efforts had repeatedly stalled as judges resigned from the case amid fears for their safety. Gang control also disrupted the work of the courts, including the downtown Port-au-Prince courthouse where judges had been questioning suspects. These obstacles illustrated the wider breakdown of public institutions in a country already struggling with political instability and armed gang violence.
The transfer of suspects to the United States could allow cases connected to the assassination to proceed in a judicial system less directly affected by the security conditions that have hindered Haiti’s courts. It does not end Haiti’s own unresolved legal questions, but it opens another path for evidence and testimony to be examined.
Key figures remain beyond reach
Not everyone connected to the case is in custody. Authorities continue to list Dimitri Hérard, the former head of security at Haiti’s National Palace, among the important fugitives. Hérard escaped last year after a powerful gang federation attacked Haiti’s two largest prisons.
His escape highlighted the difficulties investigators face in pursuing a complete accounting of the assassination. The attack that killed Moïse removed Haiti’s elected leader at a moment of deep political uncertainty, and the subsequent investigation has reflected many of the country’s broader challenges: fragile institutions, threats against officials, prison breaks and a continuing struggle to establish responsibility.
As the 18 suspects move toward U.S. proceedings, prosecutors have made clear that the cases already filed are not viewed as the conclusion of the investigation. The focus remains on the alleged attackers, intermediaries, facilitators and anyone accused of financing or supporting the plot that led to Moïse’s death.
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