Co-ordinator of US' Caribbean firearms prosecutions named

US attorney Michael Ben’Ary has been named as the co-ordinator for the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions.

This was announced by US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Wednesday at the 45th Caricom heads of government summit at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.

In June, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the DOJ was going to create this position which would be aimed at addressing gun violence in the region.

She said: “Too many people in all of our countries are dying from gun violence. I will reiterate that our administration is committed to disrupting gun trafficking. We are committed to interdict shipments of arms and ammunition and hold traffickers accountable.”

The co-ordinator, she said, will maximise information to support the prosecution of traffickers.

Ben'Ary has been the associate deputy attorney general at the DOJ since February.

Previously, he held positions such as senior counsel to the deputy attorney general, assistant US attorney, and chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Blinken said Ben'Ary is "a very experienced DOJ prosecutor.

"We’re also working together to address another priority that you share, and that is to stem the rising tide of violent crime taking a devastating toll on communities across the region, especially, we know, young people, hurting local business, undercutting foreign investment, eroding the trust of citizens in their governments."

He added, "Last July, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This included new federal provisions that increase criminal penalties to up to 15 years in jail for traffickers, straw purchasers. This is a tool that’s vital for holding accountable those who smuggle US arms to the Caribbean."

In March, it was announced that Caricom's Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) partnered with law-enforcement agencies in the US to form the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).

Blinken said the US supported the initiative as it was "improving information sharing among our law enforcement agencies and strengthening the capacity of countries to investigate gun-related crimes."

The US also recently announced the creation of a regional forensic centre in St Lucia as part of a US$100 million investment in the region to address crime and climate change.

Blinken added, "We’re also working to advance other regional and global priorities, from championing our shared commitment to democracy and the rule of law, to supporting free and fair elections in Venezuela through the Mexico City process, to transforming our region’s approach to mass migration and displacement, to addressing, as you emphasised, the ongoing crisis in Haiti."

Continuing on Haiti, he said the US shared the region's commitment to help the country shape its future and restore its democratic order through free and fair elections.

"Haitians cannot achieve these critical goals without security. That’s why we’ve been and remain the largest donor to Haiti’s national police, why we support the Haitian government’s call for a multinational force to help its police restore security.

"Lots that we can talk about and, I know, will talk about over the next day on that front. But this is an area of intense focus for us and we’re determined with you to do everything to help the Haitian people get it right."