Firearms trafficking and crime in the Caribbean.

• In Event: Illicit Firearms and Organized Crime

Abstract

This chapter on trafficking of firearms in the Caribbean examines the sources of illicit firearms, smuggling techniques and stakeholders, including organized crime groups, involved in this trafficking activity as well as its impact on violence. It reviews the concealment methods, the modes of transport and the types of firearms associated with smuggling of illicit firearms in the Caribbean. It also explores the efforts in the region to counter trafficking and the implication of the geographical situation of the region—mostly comprising multiple islands, located between North America and Latin America—which brings additional challenges in terms of trafficking dynamics. Drawing on an earlier study, this chapter also discusses the nexus between firearms and violence in the region, including evidence that firearms are the most common mechanism used in homicides in a number of Caribbean countries.

Authors

• Nicolas Florquin, Small Arms Survey, Switzerland

• Anne-Séverine Fabre, Small Arms Survey