United States To Appoint Coordinator For Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions

United States Vice President Kamala Harris has announced that her country’s Department of Justice will create a new position of Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions.

Harris, who met with Caribbean leaders in the Bahamas on Thursday, explained that the appointment would help maximise information sharing between the U.S. and the Caribbean to support prosecuting traffickers.

“This effort will be aided by the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which President Biden signed last year, and includes new federal criminal offenses for firearms trafficking and straw purchase,” the United States Vice President stated.

She also disclosed that the United States is supporting a recently established Caribbean Crime Gun Intelligence Unit in Trinidad and Tobago to train officials in firearms investigations and help bring criminals to justice.

Harris highlighted more than $100 million, including $98 million in new funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to address climate, energy, food security, and humanitarian assistance in the Caribbean.