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Haitian
Gangs |
"Where's the money? Where's the drugs?'' he demands.
In another home on a different night, several men claiming to be police officers break down the door. They place a hot iron on the knees and genitals of one resident and demand to know where cocaine and cash are hidden in the house.
The incidents were among more than 40 brutal home-invasion robberies that occurred over the past 1 1/2 years in North Miami. The first of several trials began recently in federal court in Miami for drug conspiracy arrests stemming from some of the invasions.
The FBI and North Miami and Miami police departments have arrested 26 robbery suspects since December on various charges, mostly involving drugs and drug conspiracy. Police say all are members of four gangs -- Caribbean Thunder I, Caribbean Thunder II, Caribbean Thunder III and the Creole Connection.
Both the victims and assailants in the robberies were Haitian Americans. While police say many instances involved drug dealers stealing from each other, innocent victims were occasionally sometimes caught in the crossfire. Sometimes the gangs hit the wrong house.
"What we think is happening is that Haitians with money and businesses in the community are also being targeted within the Haitian community,'' said Stephen Stepp, North Miami's assistant police chief.
Authorities say the crime spree spread from Miami to Broward County. The robbers often posed as police officers or federal agents to gain entry. Once inside the homes, the invaders bound or handcuffed the victims with duct tape while terrorizing them and searching for money or drugs.
The first defendants to go on trial were reportedly members of the Caribbean Thunder I gang: Marc Kenlo Monestine, 24; Belal Richard Andre, 30; Alexis Toutoute, 32; and Jean Charles Thomas, 26, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. If convicted, they could face up to life in prison.
William T. Daniel, 25; Joseph Sylvio, 30; Joacel Dorelus, 28; and Eriveau Alcide, 28, pleaded guilty and have been already sentenced.
Authorities did not pursue state charges against them -- relating to the home invasions, rapes and thefts -- because federal drug conspiracy convictions carry longer sentences.
Those on trial were arrested Dec. 1 following a sting in Miami Beach set up by the FBI and several law enforcement agencies. Authorities baited the alleged gang members with the promise of 65 kilograms of cocaine stashed at what turned out to be an empty house.
Only two of the eight defense attorneys could be reached for comment.
Rene Palomino Jr., the attorney representing Monestine, says his client was not involved in any crimes prior to the drug bust and called the sting entrapment.
"The FBI should not be in the business of creating fake home-invasion robberies,'' said Palomino.
Stepp, the North Miami assistant police chief, says there was no setup.
"We developed information that indicated that it was a gang of individuals,'' Stepp said. "It may have been a loose-knit gang using different people at different times. But they were predisposed to commit those types of crimes. We didn't take business people or students and entice them to commit a crime they would have never done.''
Nelson Akinrinade, who represents Daniel, denied his client's involvement in the home invasions. However, two victims who were raped and had a blowtorch held near their faces during one home invasion identified Daniel as one of the rapists, according to court documents.
"Since my client was arrested, [the invasions] are still happening,'' Akinrinade said. "It's difficult to attribute all that to this particular group. Apparently there are many, many groups in the North Miami area.''
Police have gone on Creole-language radio over the past several months warning listeners to be on the alert for home invaders posing as police or federal agents.
Stepp said North Miami police have seen a decrease in the invasions since the first gang was arrested.
"We've made a tremendous dent,'' Stepp said. "But we're not done yet.''
Stepp said police aren't sure whether the most recent home-invasion robbery is connected.
"A lot of the victims were very uncooperative,'' Stepp said. ``In some cases, the offenders may have known the victims.''
Ossmann Desir, the first Haitian American elected to the City Council in North Miami, said he has been approached by some of the victims.
"I had one case where the victim had been sexually assaulted and was told that if she told anyone she would be killed,'' Desir said. "She said she knew them and that it wasn't the first time they had come to her house.''
The paranoia and fear that victims feel after they have been attacked are starting to divide the Haitian community, says Valerie Marzouka, a victims advocate with the North Miami Police Department.
"There's this total mistrust of your own people,'' said Marzouka, who is of Haitian descent. "Haitians have a history where they have taken advantage of each other before, but not this way. It's becoming more violent. That's not the norm, but it's becoming the norm.''
(Miami Herald)