18 suspects accused in the July 2021 killing of Haiti’s president being extradited from Haiti to US
Haiti assassination case moves to U.S. courts as 18 suspects await extradition
Indiadailyupdate.com – PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Eighteen people arrested in connection with the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse were awaiting transfer to the United States on Sunday, opening a new chapter in a case that has been repeatedly delayed by Haiti’s security and judicial crises.
The defendants are expected to face prosecution in Florida. Their transfer follows years of stalled proceedings in Haiti, where violence, threats against judges and the weakening of court institutions complicated efforts to investigate one of the country’s most consequential political killings.
Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, described the extraditions as an important step toward holding those involved responsible.
“Today marks the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse,” he wrote on X. “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.”
Broad U.S. investigation continues
Quiñones did not publicly name the 18 people awaiting extradition. Those still held in Haiti include more than a dozen former Colombian soldiers, a former Haitian police officer and a former employee of Haiti’s Ministry of Justice who worked in an anti-corruption unit.
U.S. authorities have indicted 30 people in the Moïse assassination investigation. FBI Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles said arrests took place in the United States and other countries on Sunday, underscoring the international scope of the case.
“Remain steadfast in ensuring that all individuals who allegedly sought profit from the assassination of a head of state are held fully accountable.”
The inquiry has involved alleged organizers, financiers, security personnel and others accused of helping make the plot possible. The move to bring additional suspects before U.S. courts is significant because several alleged planning and business connections tied to the case were based in South Florida.
Relatives of some Colombian suspects did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In earlier statements, family members had expressed frustration over the extended delays faced by the detainees after their arrests in 2021.
A justice system under extreme pressure
Moïse was fatally shot at his private residence in July 2021. His killing plunged Haiti further into political uncertainty and became a defining symbol of the country’s fragile institutions.
Haitian investigations repeatedly lost momentum as judges resigned amid fears for their safety. Gang violence also disrupted the judicial process. Armed groups seized control of the downtown Port-au-Prince courthouse where judges had been questioning suspects, making it increasingly difficult for local authorities to carry out a sustained investigation.
In October 2025, Haitian justice officials sought assistance from the United States and Canada after a court of appeals ordered another investigation into the assassination. It was the third such inquiry since Moïse’s death. Earlier efforts had failed to produce a completed local prosecution because of resignations, security threats and the collapse of normal court operations.
The pending extraditions may allow proceedings involving these defendants to continue in a court system less directly affected by Haiti’s security emergency. At the same time, the transfer does not resolve the wider question of accountability inside Haiti, where the assassination’s effects continue to be felt in the country’s political and legal institutions.
Previous convictions and guilty pleas
The United States has already secured convictions and guilty pleas in connected cases. In May, a Florida jury found four men guilty in the killing of Haiti’s elected president: Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages. Each had pleaded not guilty.
The jury determined that the four men conspired to kill or kidnap Moïse and provided material support for the operation. Their convictions marked one of the most substantial courtroom developments since the assassination.
At least five additional defendants have entered guilty pleas and are serving life sentences. Among those who previously pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court are a retired Colombian army officer and a Haitian-Chilean businessman who had once worked as an informant for the U.S. government.
Christian Sanon, a Haitian-American citizen, is still awaiting trial. Authorities have said alleged conspirators initially selected Sanon as a possible replacement for Moïse. The proposed plan envisioned him awarding contracts to a company called CTU after taking power, involving infrastructure work, security forces and military equipment.
Ortiz and Intriago were principals of CTU, short for Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security. Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both firms operated from South Florida.
Fugitives remain a central concern
Not every major figure tied to the case is in custody. Authorities have identified Dimitri Hérard, the former head of security at Haiti’s National Palace, as a key fugitive. He escaped last year when a powerful gang federation attacked Haiti’s two largest prisons.
His escape illustrates the continuing challenge for investigators: even as trials, convictions and extraditions advance abroad, Haiti’s deteriorated security environment can still hinder efforts to locate suspects and preserve the evidence needed for future cases.
For the families affected by the assassination and for a country still confronting institutional instability, the extradition of 18 suspects represents progress rather than a conclusion. The U.S. cases are expected to examine not only who carried out the attack, but also the alleged network of people who financed, enabled or supported the plot.
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