Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands

By DÁNICA COTO
Updated 10:26 PM CST, November 12, 2024

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dozens of soldiers and police fanned out across a neighborhood on a recent night in the Turks & Caicos Islands just days after the archipelago reported a record 40 killings this year.

They were on the hunt for criminals and illegal weapons fueling a surge of violence across the Caribbean as authorities struggle to control a stream of firearms smuggled in from the U.S.

Half an hour into the Oct. 30 operation, one driver tried to run authorities off the road as he tossed a handgun into the bushes.

“Rest assured, we remain committed to disrupting the flow of illicit guns,” Police Superintendent Jason James said hours later.

But the flow is too strong, with illegal firearms blamed for an increase or a record number of killings in a growing number of Caribbean islands this year, including Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas.

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https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-turks-caicos-gun-violence-4bc996c17d956b7c2f3809326b703f77