Surge of guns and ammunition flowing from U.S. to Latin America and Caribbean, fueling conflict
Authorities have seen a surge of guns and ammunition flowing from the United States to Latin America and the Caribbean, fueling conflict in regions already struggling with violence and unrest.
Last week, U.S.-based airlines were struck by gunfire while flying over Haiti’s airspace. While the origin of the firearms remains uncertain, Haiti has no domestic firearms manufacturing capacity, and aside from a small artisanal market, the majority of weapons fueling the violence are likely sourced from the U.S.
A new report from research organization Small Arms Survey reveals a staggering nearly 120% surge in firearm shipments seized en route from the U.S. to the Caribbean and Latin America since 2016.
rise in trafficking or improved data collection, the trend unmistakably points to a consistent demand for illicit firearms.
The black market of American guns and ammunition has been well-established by U.S. and international law enforcement as a key source of weapons fueling humanitarian crises and violence in places like Mexico, Haiti and beyond. A 2023 CBS Reports investigation found up to a million firearms are smuggled across the border annually, including military-grade weapons like grenade launchers and belt-fed Gatling-style miniguns.
The illicit flow of firearms is now a major concern across the Caribbean as well. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office shows that U.S.-sourced firearms account for the vast majority of the violence in Caribbean nations. The report states that 73% of the firearms recovered in the Caribbean between 2018 and 2023 were traced back to the U.S., with a significant portion of these weapons sold in Florida, Georgia and Texas. These firearms are responsible for 90% of homicides in some of the region’s most vulnerable nations.
The Small Arms Survey’s latest findings reflect these broader trends, with a troubling shift in the types of firearms being seized in shipments bound for the Caribbean.
Of the seized rifles headed for the Caribbean, 77% were AK- and AR-style rifles, compared with 48% in shipments to Mexico and 61% to other Latin American countries — though the total number of rifles seized while heading to the Caribbean remains lower than the quantities seized in shipments to Latin America. In the Caribbean-bound shipments, 93% of the magazines that were identifiable by capacity were capable of holding more than 10 rounds, making them high-capacity magazines.
Anna Schecter
contributed to this report.
Source: cbsnews.com