Former Haiti police chief flees island

MIAMI — The former chief of the Haiti National Police’s anti-drug unit, who lost his command after being implicated in a bungled Haitian drug smuggling operation, is in U.S. immigration custody in Miami.

Joris Mergelus quietly flew last week from Haiti to Miami International Airport, where he was immediately taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

During questioning, Mergelus asked for asylum, according to sources familiar with his case. He was carrying about $7,000 cash and documents.

Mergelus, who is currently being held at the Krome North detention center, is linked to a narco-trafficking investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that grew out of a 2015 drugsmuggling operation in Haiti involving the disappearance of multiple kilos of cocaine and heroin.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami declined to comment on Mergelus’ fleeing Haiti or whether he was a suspect in the widening probe.