On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly for drug trafficking. "Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly (Martelly) under Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, dated December 15, 2021, 'Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade,'" the statement reads.

"The action taken today against Martelly highlights the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the current crisis in Haiti," said Bradley T. Smith, Acting Under Secretary of State for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, as quoted in the statement. "The United States, in collaboration with its international partners, is committed to dismantling those who facilitate drug trafficking, corruption, and other illicit activities that fuel the horrific gang violence and political instability," the statement continued.