Dominica

People

There is limited information available regarding the human trafficking market in Dominica. Few cases of potential trafficking out of the country have been reported, and the extent to which these constitute human trafficking is in question. Victims from Haiti and the Dominican Republic may pass through Dominica, destined for other countries such as the US. Some residents have reported that Haitians have been lured to the town of Portsmouth in Dominica with false promises of easy access to the US. Furthermore, Dominican law is silent on the trafficking of children for labour exploitation.

Dominica is also a transit country for human smuggling, but the criminal market remains small and cases are sporadic. It is also a potential stepping stone for Haitians trying to reach neighbouring Martinique or Guadeloupe. There is no evidence to suggest that extortion or protection racketeering takes place in Dominica.

Trade

The criminal market for arms trafficking is believed to be sizeable. Dominica is a destination country for illicit arms with relatively high rates of gun violence. Firearms tend to come from Venezuela and typically arrive along with shipments of cocaine. Alternatively, the US may also be a source of firearms smuggled into Dominica by Dominican citizens.

There is no evidence of trade in counterfeit goods or illicit trade in excise goods in Dominica, although, in the latter case, very sporadic cases of alcohol and tobacco smuggling have been reported, unrelated to organized crime networks.

Environment

Although there are a few reports of the trafficking of parrots and Dominica’s sea turtles, there is no evidence of any environmental criminal markets in the country.

Drugs

The primary drug markets in Dominica are the cocaine and cannabis trades. Dominica is a transit country for both destined for other Caribbean islands, North America or Europe. Typically, Venezuelan boats enter Dominican territory and transfer cocaine to local fishing vessels to be brought into Dominica. After being stored on the island for a short period, Dominicans facilitate the drugs’ journey towards more lucrative markets such as Guadeloupe and Martinique. As with cocaine, Dominica is primarily a transit and temporary storage location for cannabis intended for other countries in the region. Additionally, Dominica is a minor cannabis producer with cultivation in isolated mountainous regions. Most of the marijuana produced is consumed domestically, and evidence suggests that cannabis is the most prevalent drug in the country. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled the exportation of cannabis to Guadeloupe and Martinique, with cannabis cultivation becoming more significant as local growers seek to diversify and satisfy demand in the local French markets. There has also been an increase in small quantities of cannabis seeds imported in barrels and courier packages from the UK, US, and Canada.

Seizures of synthetic drugs are minimal, suggesting that the market is negligible. There is no evidence of heroin consumption or trafficking on the island.

Cyber Crimes

No proof exists suggesting that cyber-dependent crimes are a prominent criminal market in Dominica. Nevertheless, most of the cyber-attacks targeting individuals or institutions in the country originate from outside of Dominica.

Financial Crimes

Financial crimes mainly targeting individuals take place in Dominica and several fraud alerts have taken place in the country. Phishing emails, fraudulent products and financial services, credit card thefts, and pyramid schemes are among the most prevalent financial crimes in the country.

Criminal Actors

While no mafia-style groups operate in the country, there are a number of minor domestic criminal networks in Dominica. These networks are not highly organized and engage primarily in the local drug trade, petty crime, and protecting territory. These networks are believed to engage with similar groups in neighbouring Martinique and Guadeloupe. Transnational criminal actors do not have a large-scale presence in Dominica but have formed relationships with locals. Most importantly, cocaine traffickers from Venezuela have some capacity to oversee cocaine shipments but generally maintain a low profile and avoid attention from law enforcement.

Even though corrupt state-embedded actors are reported to be involved in criminal activities, especially in human smuggling and drug trafficking markets, their involvement remains sporadic and opportunistic rather than widespread complicity within the state apparatus. There is no evidence to suggest the involvement of private sector actors in criminal markets in the country. However, the citizenship by investment program available in the country has been criticized with allegations indicating corruption and fraud in certain economic sectors, such as the hospitality one, in recent years.

Leadership and governance

Dominica is a consolidated parliamentary democracy, characterized by good and accountable governance, and respect for political liberties and human rights. Political leaders in Dominica have not prioritized the fight against transnational organized crime but have nonetheless spoken out on the issue. While the Dominican government generally implements anti-corruption laws effectively, perceived levels of corruption are modest. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is responsible for prosecuting corruption offences. Still, it lacks adequate personnel and resources to tackle complex money laundering and public corruption cases. The country faces challenges related to inadequate prosecution of cases, a lack of regulations concerning the procedures to deal with bribery and corruption, resources, and public support.

Dominica has ratified most of the relevant international treaties and conventions for organized crime. The country is generally committed to international cooperation in the fight against the threat. It has legal provisions that enable extradition for drug trafficking and money laundering offences and promotes the exchange of best practices with regard to the implementation of national drug policies. It also participates in regional coordination activities to combat transnational organized crime, and cooperates with third countries, particularly the UK, France, and others within the EU, on combating narcotics trafficking. Additionally, thanks to a newly signed agreement that aims to strengthen police cooperation and security in the Caribbean region, Interpol will support Dominica’s law enforcement among other members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). Even though the country has a robust national legal framework pertaining to organized crime, it focuses primarily on drug trafficking and has a number of gaps when it comes to other criminal markets, such as human trafficking and human smuggling.

Criminal justice and security

Dominica’s judiciary is independent and generally guarantees a fair trial. However, courts often suffer from under-resourcing, understaffing, and inefficiency. Dominica’s Stock Farm Prison is generally on par with international standards with no reports of major abuse in the facility. Nevertheless, staff shortages in the judicial system and detentions lead to long pre-trial detentions and challenges in the prison. There is no evidence that criminal actors in prison control illicit activity either within or outside the prison. The government is also working towards a new Juvenile Justice System reform.

Dominica’s law enforcement has made progress in recent years and has responded well to the growing threat of cocaine trafficking. However, agencies are still severely under-resourced and unable to take that effort to the next level. The country has a Drug Squad and a Coast Guard, both of which are responsible for drug interdiction operations. Dominica law enforcement has increased its number of officers to boost police presence on the streets. Despite efforts by law enforcement to combat the use of Dominican territory by traffickers, the island’s vast shoreline and maritime borders make it vulnerable to cocaine flows from South America to other Caribbean islands and Europe.

Economic and financial environment

Dominica is considered a growing offshore financial center and potential money laundering hub. The country has a high presence of anonymous offshore financial institutions with no published beneficial ownership, fraudulent investment schemes, and advance-fee fraud schemes. At the same time, the country has updated and strengthened its legislative and institutional frameworks to counter money laundering and is also active in regional asset recovery initiatives. However, some vulnerabilities can be highlighted such as inadequate training in the judicial system, lack of awareness of the new anti-money laundering processes in law enforcement, and ineffective supervision of non-financial businesses. Further, the number of trusts and international business companies in the country remains unknown.

Dominica is one of the poorest countries in the eastern Caribbean. The main sources of income for locals are agriculture and tourism. There is no evidence that organized crime significantly controls specific sectors of the economy or that criminal groups are involved in providing any financial services.

Civil society and social protection

While little is known of an actual witness or victim protection programme, funds are allocated to support police, prosecutors and victim restitution. On the prevention side, the government has deployed a community outreach programme on crime and violence that aims to ensure government officials hold meetings in various communities to empower residents to foster a collaborative crime-reduction effort. The Dominican authorities have also carried out a number of educational and awareness-raising activities. Additionally, the government is trying to improve cybercrime resilience. Civil society organizations in Dominica enjoy the freedom of assembly and NGOs are reported to actively participate in numerous social development initiatives and freedom of the press is respected.