Three Floridians are facing federal charges for allegedly trafficking firearms and ammunition from Miami to Haiti, following a February 2025 seizure by Dominican authorities at the Port of Haina. Officials intercepted a shipment containing a military-grade Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, a silencer, an Uzi submachine gun, and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, none of which were declared on the shipping manifest, which listed only household goods.
The defendants—28-year-old U.S. citizen Francesca Charles and Haitian citizens Jacques Pierre, 32, and Jeff Pierre, 34—are charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods, unlawfully shipping firearms, and smuggling goods from the United States, each facing up to 20 years in U.S. Bureau of Prisons if convicted.
Prosecutors allege the trio purchased at least 46 firearms from federally licensed U.S. dealers between May 2024 and February 2025, many of which matched those seized in the Dominican Republic, and then arranged to ship them falsely labeled as household items.
Travel records indicate the defendants traveled to the Dominican Republic shortly before the shipments arrived. Haitian authorities also arrested the listed recipient, Guitho Senat, and have banned in-transit cargo through the Dominican Republic following the seizure. The case is being prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisibeth Adams.