Former President of Honduras found guilty of international drug trafficking by American justice

A historic trial. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was convicted on Friday March 8 of international drug trafficking by a federal jury in New York, United States. He now faces life in prison.

Juan Orlando Hernandez, who federal prosecutors say created a narco-state during his eight-year presidency between 2014 and 2022, was convicted of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking and trafficking weapons, as well as possession of weapons. The sentence will be pronounced later by the courts.

Bribes received from drug cartels

According to the prosecution, “JOH” received millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels. Among them: that of Sinaloa, led by the famous Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, sentenced to life imprisonment by the American courts in 2019 and now incarcerated in a high security prison.

These bribes were allegedly received in exchange for protecting traffickers against extraditions and securing, through military, police and judicial assistance, the transport of drugs from Colombia to the American market.

During his presidency, Honduras became a “highway” for Colombian cocaine, prosecutors charged. They claim that between 2004 and 2022, the network backed by Juan Orlando Hernandez smuggled more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States. He was extradited in April 2022.