Spanish
The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, 57 years old, was extradited to the United States in April 2022, after being arrested in February of that same year at his official residence in Tegucigalpa, shortly after finishing his second term and handing over power to Xiomara Castro.
During his trial in New York, it was revealed that the more than 400 tons of cocaine involved in the conviction could equate, according to estimates by US authorities, to billions of individual doses.
Furthermore, during the process, a witness stated that Hernández had commented that they planned to "stuff the drugs up the noses of the gringos", while the Prosecutor's Office accused him of using his position of power to facilitate drug trafficking, finance political campaigns with contributions from drug traffickers, including the Sinaloa cartel, and maintain state structures at the service of these networks, which they described as an attempt to turn Honduras into a "narco-state".
Hernández, for his part, maintained his innocence throughout the trial, alleging that the accusations were retaliation from some witnesses and that his political actions - including the approval of the extradition law with the United States and the management of 21 extraditions during his presidency, was part of his effort to combat drug trafficking in the country.
Hernández's case was closely linked to that of his brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, a former Honduran congressman arrested in 2018 in Miami and convicted in 2019 in New York for drug trafficking.
You may be interested in:
During Tony's trial, witnesses pointed to Juan Orlando as a conspirator, although he was not charged at that time. However, it was revealed that both had received bribes from criminal organizations such as Los Cachiros, Valle Valle and the Sinaloa cartel, to finance political campaigns and obtain protection.
The pardon of Hernandez surprised many who wonder what led Trump to make this decision, particularly at a time when he has intensified his fight against drug trafficking in the Caribbean region, with a costly military deployment.
For his part, and after his release on December 1 from the high-security federal prison in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, Hernández has not given any signs about his whereabouts.
His release occurs just one year after his conviction and after a failed attempt to request a new trial. Trump defended the pardon decision, calling the process in New York "unfair" and comparing it to a "witch hunt".
Meanwhile, the case of Hernández has generated intense debate in Honduras. Some sectors criticize the pardon due to his links to drug trafficking, while others highlight his role in cooperation with the United States and in the management of extraditions of criminals during his term.
The controversy is exacerbated by the current electoral contest, where Trump's influence and Hernández's continued disappearance have generated great political uncertainty.
However, the former president still faces pending cases in Honduras; investigations for corruption, money laundering and other possible charges continue under the supervision of the Public Ministry, which has indicated that the pardon in the US does not affect the judicial processes in the country.
Thus, if Hernández were to return to Honduras, he could face additional legal actions, while the measures on his seized assets and ongoing files remain active, leaving his political and judicial future in suspense.
