Federal authorities have charged a United States Marine with trying to smuggle firearms into Haiti in what he claimed was an attempt to take on the “thugs” ruining the country.
Haitian authorities arrested Jacques Yves Duroseau on Nov. 12 after he flew from New Bern, North Carolina, to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, with eight firearms and ammunition in his baggage, according to the criminal complaint obtained by the Washington Examiner. Duroseau was later questioned by Naval Criminal Investigative Services. Authorities said he did not have authorization to transport the weapons abroad. The charges were filed with a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina last week.
Duroseau, who is in the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, allegedly traveled with the guns to “defeat the thugs that have been creating a little bit of part of the instability in Haiti.” A sergeant in the Marine Corps Individual Ready Reserve identified only as “KI” was arrested with Duroseau and told officials that Duroseau was in contact with the U.S. Embassy to tell them that he wanted to be president of Haiti.
A machine-gunner who was a firearms instructor, Duroseau was profiled by the Marine Corps in a 2016 feature story describing how he overcame adversity to join the service. More recently, Duroseau told investigators he “picked every gun” to teach marksmanship to the Haitian Army. The cache included five handguns and three rifles, at least five of which Duroseau bought himself. He filled out paperwork to transport firearms with American Airlines, though he admitted knowing it was illegal to bring guns into Haiti and did so to make a statement, according to the complaint.
The NCIS and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for an update on Duroseau’s status. The 2nd Marine Division did not immediately respond to a request for details on Duroseau’s position in the Marine Corps.
