Break-ins and armed robberies, rare a few years ago, are now common, and Haitians believe that to be a product of the drug trade. More than 100 police officers suspected of working for drug dealers have been kicked off the force, raising Haitians' mistrust of the young department. Many Haitians say the cocaine trade has not only worsened the crime problem, but has also contributed to the breakdown of Haitian society. They point to mansions sprouting in the mountains above this city and gas stations under construction as evidence of illicit gains or money laundering. Some graduate to cocaine, financing their habit by washing cars or stealing.
Older ones become dealers.
But Haitians should not expect any help from the United States, the destination for most of the cocaine. The police were ineffective, corrupt and politicized, the GAO said, and the legal system was hampered by corruption, government control, a large case backlog, an outdated legal code, poor facilities and by the fact that it conducted business in French, instead of Creole, the country's majority language. The cocaine to make Louisdhon's crack enters Haiti through hundreds of miles of unguarded coastline, mostly on the Caribbean Sea. The White House Office on National Drug Control Policy estimates that more than 65 metric tons of cocaine gets dropped here from go-fast boats or airplanes before it is repackaged and shipped to the United States through couriers or on freighters that dock on the Miami River. All they need to satisfy their craving is a little bit of money.