Former President of Honduras sentenced to 45 years in prison in the United States for drug trafficking

The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was sentenced Wednesday June 26 in New York to 45 years in prison for international drug trafficking. Accused of having helped ship hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, the man who was head of state from 2014 to 2022 was found guilty in March of criminal conspiracy for drug trafficking and possession of weapons. Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was extradited in April 2022 to the United States, was also ordered to pay a fine of eight million dollars.

“Juan Orlando Hernandez abused his position as President of Honduras to turn the country into a narco-state where violent drug traffickers could operate with near impunity, and the people of Honduras and the United States were forced to suffer the consequences,” US Justice Minister Merrick Garland said in March.

The former president of Honduras has proclaimed his innocence, claiming to be “victim of cartel revenge”. But according to American prosecutors, he participated in and protected a network that shipped approximately 400 tons of cocaine to the United States between 2004 and 2022, while he was a member of Congress, President of Congress and then President of the Republic. In return, he would have received millions of dollars from cartels, including that of Sinaloa, led by the famous Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman, since convicted in the United States.

Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had presented himself as the champion of the fight against drug trafficking, had initially been seen by the United States as an ally in this fight. Washington had been one of the first capitals to recognize his re-election in 2017 while the opposition denounced fraud against a backdrop of demonstrations that left around thirty dead.