Juan Orlando Hernández used his office as President of Honduras to smuggle drugs into the USA. Following his guilty verdict, the sentence has now been announced.
The former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, must serve 45 years behind bars for conspiracy to smuggle drugs and weapons offenses, according to a judge in New York. In addition, the 55-year-old must pay a fine of eight million US dollars (around 7.5 million euros), as US media unanimously reported. A jury in the US east coast metropolis found Hernández guilty in March.
Hernández was President of Honduras from 2014 to 2022. Shortly after the end of his term, he was extradited to the USA, where he was put on trial. According to the indictment, he turned Honduras into a “drug state” in order to corrupt the institutions of the Central American country and enrich himself. The conservative politician is said to have helped drug smugglers – including the Mexican ex-cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is now in custody in the USA – to smuggle hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine via Honduras to the USA.
Hernández has always denied the allegations. He believes the accusations are revenge by drug traffickers he handed over to the US justice system. He says they lied to reach agreements to reduce their sentences. He is expected to appeal.
Source: Stern
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