Ito Bisonó clarifies origin of Dominican ammunition found in Haiti
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, Víctor “Ito” Bisonó, addressed this Friday the controversy regarding the discovery of Dominican-made ammunition in the hands of armed gangs in Haiti. The official specified that the identified .50 caliber projectiles are over fifty years old, which makes it difficult to determine exactly when and how they reached the neighboring country.
During his participation in the meeting of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), held in Santiago de los Caballeros, Bisonó stressed that the Dominican State collaborates closely with international organizations to clarify any irregularities. The minister emphasized that the report from the UN Security Council Group of Experts recognizes the willingness and efforts of the Dominican authorities to investigate potential diversions of military material.
Details about the UN report
The report presented by United Nations experts points out that at least 15 of the 32 .50 caliber cartridges analyzed, which were confiscated from the Haitian gang 400 Mawozo, were produced in the Dominican Republic during the 1950s. The document admits that the chain of custody for said materials is difficult to trace, given that part of this weaponry also had a presence in the United States civilian market in past years.
The age of the material, added to the administrative and institutional changes recorded over the decades, makes it difficult to establish a clear traceability regarding how these cartridges arrived in Haitian territory.
Ministry of Defense of the Dominican Republic
Ongoing research
The Ministry of Defense has reaffirmed that it keeps investigations open to determine responsibilities. Although isolated incidents of ammunition trafficking have been recorded, such as the one that occurred in December 2025, where an Army second lieutenant was arrested with more than 1,500 cartridges in the province of San Juan, the authorities clarify that these events are not directly linked to the discovery of the old material mentioned in the international report.
- Dominican authorities are keeping the officer involved in the ammunition trafficking detected in 2025 in preventive detention.
- The State reiterates that the presence of ammunition manufactured decades ago is not proof of an authorized or recent transfer to the neighboring country.
- The Government continues to strengthen border controls to prevent the illicit trafficking of weapons and war materiel.
This case highlights the complexity of the security crisis in Haiti and the importance of international oversight mechanisms to curb the supply of criminal organizations in the region.
