Suspects in killing of Haitian president were previously informants for America’s DEA

In a news conference on Sunday, Haiti authorities announced that they had arrested a Haitian man who had taken part in the assassination of the former president, and that he may have had help from two with connections to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

On July 7, former Haiti President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home by a group of 28 people. Police apprehended Christian Emmanuel Sanon, who is a doctor based in Florida. Sanon entered Haiti in June via a private plane. According to Investigative Judge Clément Noël, two of the people with the attack group were Haitian Americans. The two, James Solages and Joseph Vincent, claimed that they were only present at the attack to serve as translators. They also claimed that the attackers’ original plan was to arrest Moïse, not to kill him.

Authorities raided Sanon’s home not only found boxes of bullets and targets, but also a hat with the DEA logo embroidered on it. There are debates as to whether participants in the attack were posing as DEA officials or if there were former DEA informants in the group. The DEA announced that one of the suspects in the assassination had intermitently been an informant to the DEA.

U.S. authorities, including members of the FBI, the State Department, the Justice Department, the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security flew to Haiti on Sunday and met with officials. Haiti’s interim president also requested U.S. troops to assist in the country. Sanon was accompanied by a group of Columbian citizens, who also took part in the attack.

As of Sunday, 18 Columbians had been arrested, out of the 26 suspected. Three of the suspects were killed and several are still at large. Moïse’s wife was also hurt in the attack, but not killed. She was airlifted to a hospital in Florida and was in critical condition.

ARTICLE: RITA VOGT

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: INDEPENDENT

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