ICE Arrests Haitian Oligarch Accused of Supporting Gangs

New York Times

5 days ago

The United States government publicly accused one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in Haiti of a 'campaign of violence and gang support' — for the first time blaming a prominent member of the nation's elite for the rampant violence there.
Pierre Reginald Boulos, 69, a medical doctor who amassed extreme wealth through a chain of supermarkets and a car dealership, was arrested last week by the Homeland Security Investigations arm of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on Thursday in Palm Beach County, Fla., where he lives.
'If you are supporting and collaborating with Haitian gang leaders — you can book yourself a ticket home,' the Department of Homeland Security said on a social media post that featured Mr. Boulos's photograph.
The arrest is an important development in Haiti's battle against violent gangs. While the authorities have launched offensives against gang leaders and put million-dollar bounties on their heads, critics have argued that law enforcement officials in Haiti and the United States have not done enough to go after the wealthy power brokers who helped finance or even create the gangs.
Business leaders have long been known to pay gangs for things like protection and access to the ports. Political parties use gangs to get communities to support particular candidates or start street protests targeting rivals.
Critics say that the support of Haiti's elite was crucial in the establishment of gangs the. But in recent years, the armed groups have grown in numbers, weapons and money to the point that they no longer need the elite, experts said.
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