Gangs in Haiti are generating significant revenue from the illicit trade of baby eels, known as "Zangi", which are caught in Haitian waters and exported, primarily to Asia, for thousands of dollars. This lucrative market is enabling criminal organizations to diversify their income and launder drug profits, exacerbating the country's instability.

• A gram of exported Haitian eels (7 to 10 specimens) fetches between $3.60 and $4.50 internationally.
• The UN's drugs and crime office, led by outgoing head Ghada Waly, warns that Haitian nationals are part of a wider criminal network involved in this lucrative eel trafficking.
• While the global trade of European eels is controlled, American eels, although classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, are not, creating a loophole exploited by traffickers.