Haitian ex-President Martelly hit with U.S. sanctions, accused of facilitating drug trade

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. imposed sanctions on the former president of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly, Tuesday following accusations that he abused his influence to facilitate drug trafficking into the U.S. and sponsored gangs that have contributed to instability in the Caribbean country.

The Treasury Department’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, said the action "emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti."

Haiti is engulfed in gang violence while peaceful protesters are tear-gas sed by police as they call on law enforcement to help them stop the gangs that have been violently seizing control of neighborhoods.

Hundreds of police officers from Kenya have arrived in Haiti for a U.N.-backed mission led by the East African country to deal with the gangs.

A July United Nations report states that gang violence in Haiti has displaced more than 300,000 children since March - with many children living in makeshift shelters, including schools in poor hygienic conditions, placing them at risk of disease.

Martelly, who served as president from 2011 to 2016, was previously sanctioned by the Canadian government in November 2022 for financing gangs.

In January, a Haitian judge issued an arrest warrant for Martelly and more than 30 other high-ranking officials accused of government corruption, namely misappropriation of funds or equipment related to Haiti's National Equipment Center.

State Department official Vedant Patel said the Tuesday sanctions were meant to "promote accountability for all individuals whose activities contribute to gang violence and destabilize the political environment in Haiti, regardless of their rank or stature."

The U.S. uses a December 2021 executive order related to foreigners engaged in the drug trade as its authority to impose the sanctions.

Martelly could not be reached for comment.