Caribbean gun trafficking tied to hubs in Florida and Georgia, study finds

Organized crime in the Caribbean is being fueled by arms trafficking that can be traced largely to a handful of areas in the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia, a study by Geneva-based Small Arms Survey has found.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up efforts against drug cartels, from classifying gangs as terrorist organizations to bombing alleged drug trafficking boats off the coast of Venezuela.

The Small Arms Survey – an independent research project whose findings are used by international governments and United Nations bodies – found that between 2015 and 2024, seven in 10 firearms that could be traced from six Caribbean nations came from Florida and Georgia.

Its analysis spanned the Bahamas, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.