Honduras ex-president Hernandez extradited to US on drugs, weapons charges
- Juan Orlando Hernandez to stand trial for allegedly aiding the smuggling of cocaine to US, receiving millions in bribes
- US alleged ex-president turned Honduras into a ‘narcostate’ by involving the military, police and civilians in drug trafficking
The United States extradited former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez on Thursday on charges of participating in a cocaine-importation conspiracy and related firearms offences, the Justice Department said.
The indictment marked a stunning fall from grace for the former Washington ally who led the Central American nation from 2014 to January 2022.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Hernandez received millions of dollars from drug trafficking organisations, including from the former leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and used those funds to enrich himself and finance his political campaigns.
In exchange, Hernandez and other Honduran officials provided drug traffickers with protection from investigation and arrest, gave them access to law enforcement and military information and prevented their extradition to the United States, according to an indictment.
“Hernandez abused his position as president of Honduras from 2014 through 2022 to operate the country as a narcostate,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters in Washington. “Hernandez worked closely with other public officials to protect cocaine shipments bound for the United States.”
Hernandez was a key ally to the United States during the Obama and Trump administrations on immigration and anti-narcotics operations. But US prosecutors revealed in court filings last year that Hernandez, 53, was under investigation as part of a sprawling probe into Honduras’ bloody narcotics trade.