Judge sentences Key West man convicted of smuggling guns to Haiti to fed prison

David Goodhue, Miami Herald on Jul 23, 2025

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A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a Key West man to two and a half years in prison after he was convicted of sending guns to Haiti by hiding the firearms in cars that he shipped to the Caribbean nation.

Jean Wiltene Eugene, 57, who pleaded guilty in April to one count of smuggling, also must serve two years of supervised release after serving his time in prison, as well as pay a $20,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors say Eugene sent more than two guns hidden in cars to Haiti through an export company after filling out required paperwork that affirmed the vehicles did not contain firearms or ammunition, per the Justice Department.

In interviews with federal agents following his arrest in Key West in May 2024, prosecutors say Eugene admitted to shipping two vehicles to Haiti with firearms hidden inside in 2020 and 2021. He told the agents he placed food and other items around the bins that were holding the weapons to conceal them from authorities, according to the government.

Prosecutors say he later told agents the nine guns he bought in Key West under his name were, at the time, located at a gas station that he owns in Haiti.

Eugene, who was born in Haiti before later moving to Key West, also confessed to the agents that he knew he was breaking the law by sending weapons to his home country, prosecutors say.

Had Eugene gone to trial and was convicted by a jury, he faced up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the Justice Department.