On Friday March 5, Divisional Inspector Gary Desrosiers, spokesperson for the National Police of Haiti (PNH) confirmed that a Haitian fugitive naturalized American Joseph L. Mathieu and a Haitian Peterson Benjamin were the subject of a judicial transfer to the United States to be tried and sentenced for their crimes. They were taken care of by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The first individual Joseph L. Mathieu, a naturalized Haitian American of Haitian origin known in the United States under the name of Mathieu Lissner was on the run and actively wanted by the American justice for drug trafficking and was the subject of a warrant of international judgment issued by the DEA. He was arrested last week by the Haitian National Police (PNH) and handed over to the DEA.

Reacting to this arrest, the Ministry of Justice declared "The MJSP welcomes the cooperation between Haiti and the United States in the prosecution of criminals of various orders including drug traffickers. Haiti is not a refuge for fugitives who have committed crimes abroad. They will be located, arrested and surrendered, according to the law."

The second individual, Peterson Benjamin aka "Pèpèt" or "Ti Peter", number 3 of the 5 seconds Gang which operates in Village de Dieu and who had been arrested at the end of November 2020 by the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ), for several kidnappings including that of two American nationals was handed over to the FBI.

SL/ HaitiLibre