"The Group of Experts found that this sector, which is poorly regulated, remains surrounded by opacity and marked by corruption. As previously indicated, this situation is explained by the fact that Haiti is not a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The eel sector thus remains exposed to illicit activities. It is primarily dominated by Jean-Charles Moïse, a businessman from the Nord department and the secretary general of the political party Pitit Dessalines. He is also a former presidential candidate and a former senator from the Nord department," reads the report from UN experts, September 3, 2026.

"According to some sources, Mr. Moïse's network decides who is assigned to the office responsible for issuing export permits for eels. He wields political and economic influence over the eel sector and controls the entire supply chain, from extraction to marketing. Mr. Moïse exerts influence over the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), through which export permits are issued, as well as over customs agents responsible for export controls, ensuring they act in his favor," the report states. Some of his former associates, to whom he had denied permits, have become his rivals," according to the UN experts' report.