Haitian gang leader captured in joint raid involving UN peacekeepers

United Nations peacekeepers and Haitian National Police (HNP) officers today captured a notorious gang leader during an early morning raid in the capital, Port-au-Prince, part of their joint efforts to crack down on violent crime in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Alain Cadet, who was the number two figure in the former Belony gang, was captured at a home east of the Pétion Ville district of Port-au-Prince, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said in a press release.

The Belony gang had operated in the Bois Neuf and Drouillard areas of Cité Soleil, the massive slum suburb in the capital.

MINUSTAH Force Commander Maj. Gen. Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz described the arrest of Mr. Cadet as “a significant move towards improving security” for Haitians.

“We will continue to support the HNP to arrest alleged criminals, wherever they are hiding, and confiscate the weapons and material they use to try to prevent the country’s progress towards stability and prosperity,” he said.

This morning’s operation involved HNP officers, UN peacekeepers, UN Police (UNPOL) and Formed Police Units (FPUs), MINUSTAH added.

The mission, which has been cracking down on criminal gangs in recent months, has been moving towards smaller and quicker joint operations with HNP so that it can more easily capture wanted criminals and confiscate weapons and ammunitions.