Among the causes of this problem are gaps in international cooperation and weaknesses in the efforts of U.S. authorities to curb this scourge.

From 2018 to 2023, 73 percent of firearms found in the Caribbean were traced to the northern country.

This figure highlights the magnitude of transnational trafficking, which in the region contributes to nearly 90 percent of homicides.

Some countries in the region want to trace and seize weapons, while others are reluctant to use methods such as international controlled deliveries, the U.S. Audit Agency report stresses.

“These operations, which involve sending traceable weapons to infiltrate trafficking networks, are sometimes rejected by local authorities, complicating efforts to succeed,” the document released by the digital newspaper Juno 7 argues.

Armed gangs control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, and have plunged the country into chaos, largely due to arms trafficking from the United States.

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