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Michael_Novakhov shared this story . |
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xe2x80x9cWhen Moxc3xafse found out about the weapons Hxc3xa9rard ordered, he wasnxe2x80x99t surprised xe2x80x94 he was scared,xe2x80x9d Mr. Fortunxc3xa9 said.
Mr. Moxc3xafsexe2x80x99s relationship with the presidential security forces, already on tenterhooks, further soured. But that changed in February, when Mr. Hxc3xa9rard claimed to have foiled a coup attempt against Mr. Moxc3xafse. Suddenly, the distrust waned. Some former aides, like Ms. Antoine and Mr. Fortunxc3xa9, wondered whether the supposed coup was a false flag, to throw off Mr. Moxc3xafsexe2x80x99s suspicions about Mr. Hxc3xa9rard.
After the coup scare, Mr. Moxc3xafse went on the offensive, publicly blasting Haitixe2x80x99s oligarchs and political elite for trying to kill him, including in one of his final interviews with The Times before his death.
Behind the scenes, Haitian officials say, Mr. Moxc3xafse began working to take down his perceived enemies. He spoke with his closest aides and select officials to start compiling the dossier breaking down narcotics and weapons smuggling networks in Haiti, including Mr. Saint-Rxc3xa9my, according to the people involved with the document.
In February, Josua Alusma, the mayor of Port-du-Paix and a close Moxc3xafse ally, ordered a crackdown on the eel trade, the industry dominated by Mr. Saint-Rxc3xa9my. Many of the eels go to China, but the Haitian police are investigating the industry as a way to launder illicit profits.
xe2x80x9cI donxe2x80x99t like this business. It happens at night, do you know what Ixe2x80x99m saying?xe2x80x9d Mr. Alusma said. xe2x80x9cTherexe2x80x99s no security.xe2x80x9d
He said the industry needed to be regulated and taxed. xe2x80x9cPeople like Kiko go in and out of the city,xe2x80x9d he said, using Mr. Saint-Rxc3xa9myxe2x80x99s nickname. xe2x80x9cBut we are the ones here cleaning his trash,xe2x80x9d he added, referring to illegal weapons seized during a raid this year.
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