Haitian police break up extortion network

Port-au-Prince, Mar 20 (Prensa Latina) Haiti´s Police on Monday announced that it had dismantled a network in the Artibonite department extorting money from people intending to travel to the United States.

March 20, 2023
16:44

The group -based in the commune of Opoto, used social networks to call for money from those who wanted to apply for the new U.S. immigration program.

Police officers confirmed that two people were arrested and others related to several crimes.

Several platforms, including Nou ap Mache pou Lavi (March for Life) reported that girls and young women were sexually abused to obtain the official documents to travel to the U.S., while others must pay up to 100,000 gourdes (about US$620).

The platform revealed that a wide network made up of immigration agents, police officers and other individuals mislead citizens into obtaining their passports.

The Citizens Protection Bureau, on the other hand, condemned inhumane and degrading treatment inflicted on Haitians applying for passports, and deplored that some of them have been victims of exploitation, extortion and blackmail.

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