Joseph-Michel François[1] (French pronunciation: [ʒozɛf miʃɛl fʁɑ̃swa]; 1957 – 2017) was a colonel in the Haitian army.
[2] Former Haitian President candidate Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly is known to have associated with François.
When the Dominican Republic deported him for plotting another coup d'etat in Haiti, François landed in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
[2] United States prosecutors indicted François in March, 1997 and charged him with smuggling 33 tons of cocaine and heroin into the U.S. from his private airstrip in Haiti, while taking millions in bribes from Colombian drug lords.
His legacy remains intertwined with Haiti’s complex political history and the human rights abuses committed during his time in power.