The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is unable to confirm reports that there are 13 Jamaicans currently jailed in Haiti allegedly on drug and murder charges.

When contacted by Our Today, the foreign ministry said it was made aware of the situation by a newspaper report.

“A newspaper article captioned ’13 Jamaicans among foreigners incarcerated in crisis-stricken Haiti’ came to the ministry’s attention on Monday 11th September 2023. We have enlisted the assistance of our honorary consul in Haiti in verifying the information contained in the article. The investigation in this regard is ongoing,” an email response on Thursday, September 14, from the foreign ministry said.

Haiti’s Police Inspector General Pierre René François told the Haitian-Caribbean News Network (HCNN) that 52 foreign nationals, 13 of whom have been identified as Jamaicans, are currently in Haitian jails detained on drug and murder charges. The foreign nationals are being detained in cells where at least 142 inmates were killed last year, many by cholera and other infectious diseases.

Haiti has descended into turmoil after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, who died on July 7, 2021, at his residence in Port-au-Prince. Rival criminal gangs have filled the streets, engaging in kidnappings, sexual assaults, homicides, and the breakdown of several of the country’s institutions.

Acting Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry has pleaded with international powers and the Caribbean Community to aid in restoring order and stability to the French-speaking country. Jamaica has responded to the call, pleading with other nations to help the country restore order.