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.
“Available evidence indicates that traffickers in the U.S. are a major source of illicit weapons in the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Matt Schroeder, senior researcher at Small Arms Survey and author of the report. “The illicit acquisition and use of firearms in the Caribbean and Latin America ranks among the most pressing security threats in the hemisphere.”
Their analysis, based on previously unpublished border seizure data obtained through public records requests, highlights a growing problem. These figures represent only the weapons actually seized, leaving out the vast number of guns trafficked across the U.S. or uncovered through criminal investigations. While it’s unclear if these increases reflect more thorough screening, a 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. While shipments to Latin America, particularly Mexico, still account for the majority of firearm seizures, the Caribbean has seen a notable increase in the interception of AK- and AR-style rifles, as well as high-capacity magazines.
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.
