Haiti Gang Leader Who Kidnapped Americans Extradited to US

In Haiti, gangs may have taken over most of the capital, but the leader of one of the most notorious gangs is now in US custody after being captured by Haitian authorities.

Jhon Peter Fleronvil was charged and wanted in the United States until the government of Haiti extradited him to the country. He is accused of kidnapping three US citizens at gunpoint in two separate incidents. The Haiti National Police confirmed his extradition, according to the Miami Herald.

Haitian police have had Fleronvil in their custody since September 11, 2022. He was arrested while trying to travel to the Dominican Republic by crossing the border between the Ouanaminthe and Dajabon areas.

There is an active arrest warrant and affidavit against Fleronvil by the FBI, who misspelled his first name as "John" in various US court documents. However, he finally had his first appearance on Tuesday in front of federal judge Lisette M. Reid in Miami.

The notorious Haiti gang leader is one of the leaders of the notorious Kokorat San Ras, which means "Cohorts of No Race." The group is known to be armed and dangerous, and like other Haitian gangs, it gets its money through kidnap-for-ransom schemes. It was recently identified in a United Nations sanctions report on Haiti.

Kokorat San Ras is known to operate in the country's rice-growing Artibonite Valley and is one of the groups slowly taking over the capital, Port-au-Prince. It has been accused of acts of extreme violence as it forced many Haitians to abandon their own homes and farmland in operations that also include armed robberies, assassinations, rapes, and kidnappings for ransom.

Haiti Gang Leader Targeted US Citizens in a Series of Kidnappings in 2022

A UN report noted that Kokorat San Ras "committed acts of extreme violence, forcing people to abandon large areas of cropland and threatening agricultural production." However, what made Fleronvil wanted in the US was when he targeted three US citizens, according to the Associated Press.

The gang reportedly kidnapped a married American couple visiting family in Port-de-Paix. Fleronvil led members of his gang to abduct the two Americans at gunpoint and held them hostage. They were let go after their family members paid a $10,500 ransom.

This success led them to target a third US citizen who was also kidnapped at gunpoint. The third victim was taken in the town of Tibwadom while en route to Port-de-Paix and was also released after a ransom was paid.

Kidnap-For-Ransom Thriving in Haiti as Gangs Ravage the Country

Foreigners staying in Haiti have a target on their backs as Haiti gangs often target them for their kidnap-for-ransom schemes and then charge massive amounts to their relatives. The latest example is the abduction of US nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her child.

The two have now been released but the nonprofit she was working for, El Roi Haiti, was forced to pay for their ransom. According to ABC News, the US State Department has already warned that kidnappings for ransom that include US Citizens in Haiti are now a "common" occurrence.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: ABC News Exclusive: Haiti kidnapping survivor breaks his silence - ABC News