Suspects in Haitian President Assassination Were Previous U.S. DEA Informants

New disturbing details have emerged regarding the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last week.

The brazen attack, which took place in the early morning hours of July 7th, had been planned for at least a month. Suspects, 35-year-old James A. Solages and 56-year-old Joseph G. Vincent, who both resided in South Florida, told Judge Clément Noël that they never intended to kill Moïse. Instead, their role was to translate as the group arrested the president. They are just two of the 28 suspects linked to the murder so far.

However, Haiti National Police Chief Léon Charles told the Miami Herald that he is confident the men were there to kill Moïse.

Moïse suffered 12 gunshot wounds inside his bedroom shortly after 1:00 a.m. His wife was wounded in the attack, and his home had been ransacked. The couple’s children were not hurt, nor were their security staff.

Charles believes that the 28 men were recruited to attack on behalf of a “high-profile Haitian doctor.” According to Vincent, the 26 Colombians in the operation lived in Haiti for three months and were paid $3,000 a month through a Counter Terrorist Unit.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is also assisting with investigating the killer’s ties to the United States. Several of the men involved in the murder of the president previously worked as informants for the DEA. Following the assassination, at least one of the suspect’s reached out to his contacts with the DEA, who urged him to turn himself in.