On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel took to his official X account to count coup on another FBI win; this time it was the extradition of 18 defendants transferred from Haiti to South Florida, all of whom are accused of being part of the assassination ring suspected in the death of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
18 HIGH-VALUE TARGETS RETURNED TO U.S.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 21, 2026
The FBI and our interagency partners executed yet another sweeping Foreign Transfer of Custody—18 Haitian prisoners related to the investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
It’s the latest in an all-out,… pic.twitter.com/cek3alKmo5
The Director writes:
18 HIGH-VALUE TARGETS RETURNED TO U.S.
The FBI and our interagency partners executed yet another sweeping Foreign Transfer of Custody—18 Haitian prisoners related to the investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
It’s the latest in an all-out, 18-month blitz by this FBI, manhunting high-value targets across the world and bringing them back to the United States to face justice.
When you pick up the phone and engage with foreign partners at a historic level, as we’ve done, this is what happens: 100+ FTOCs over the last 18 months—a nearly 60% increase.
Thank you to @FBIMiami for their leadership in this investigation, as well as our law enforcement partners who executed this operation.
More details are available in a formal press release by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
“Today marks the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Our work did not end with the men who planned and carried out this assassination. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, to those who financed it, facilitated it, supported it, or committed crimes to make it possible. Five years later, we are still bringing defendants before American courts, and we are not finished.”
"In July 2021, President Jovenel Moise was assassinated by individuals seeking to profit from illicit financial opportunities and business contracts," said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles. "Today's multi-location and international arrests underscore the FBl's continued commitment to bringing all participants in this plot to justice. FBI Miami, along with our domestic and international partners, remain steadfast in ensuring that all individuals who allegedly sought to profit from the assassination of a head of state are held fully accountable."
This brings up one interesting question: Why are they not being tried in Haiti? That flow of people, right now, is going the other direction. Here's why: Aside from some visceral satisfaction at the notion of these people being dropped into what conditions might exist in a Haitian prison, it turns out there are good reasons for the extradition.
In the first place, Haiti was unable to conclude a case against the accused conspirators. President Moise was killed in 2021, and in five years, Haiti has not been able to organize a trial.
In the second place, and this is key, the plot was reportedly hatched in South Florida, on American soil. 18 USC § 956 – Conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country, states in part (a):
(1)Whoever, within the jurisdiction of the United States, conspires with one or more other persons, regardless of where such other person or persons are located, to commit at any place outside the United States an act that would constitute the offense of murder, kidnapping, or maiming if committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States shall, if any of the conspirators commits an act within the jurisdiction of the United States to effect any object of the conspiracy, be punished as provided in subsection (a)(2).
There have already been conspirators tried in Florida, and federal prosecutors have secured convictions in the South Florida case. So, these 18 accused will now face proceedings before a federal judge — and American justice.
You can also view the formal indictment here.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
Help us fight back against the Democrats and Soros-backed DAs that refuse to enforce our laws to hold criminals accountable. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.