Former Honduras President Gets 45 Years In U.S. Jail For Drug Charges

Former Honduras President Gets 45 Years In U.S. Jail For Drug Charges
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In New York on Wednesday, June 26, Juan Orlando Hernandez was sentenced to 45 years in prison. The former Honduran President was convicted in March of aiding drug cartels in trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the US. The sentence also imposed an $8 million fine.

Despite prosecutors seeking a life sentence, Hernandez’s age, 55, suggests he will likely spend the rest of his life incarcerated. Judge P. Kevin Castel emphasized that the sentence should serve as a warning to individuals in power who believe their status protects them from justice, stating, “I am innocent,” Hernandez maintained through an interpreter in court, declaring his intent to appeal the conviction.

Outside the New York court, protesters gathered with banners condemning the drug trade and honoring victims in Honduras. US federal prosecutors described Hernandez’s presidency from 2014 to 2022 as transforming Honduras into a “narco-state.” The conviction detailed his alleged involvement in trafficking around 500 tons of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to the US, dating back to 2004.

Prosecutors also accused Hernandez of using drug money to fund his political campaigns and engage in electoral fraud during the 2013 and 2017 elections. Extradited to the US in 2022 immediately after leaving office, Hernandez portrayed himself in court as a collaborator with US presidents against drug trafficking. Judge Castel dismissed this portrayal, labeling Hernandez a “two-faced politician hungry for power” who used Honduran police and military to protect drug operations.

Hernandez joins a list of former Latin American heads of state, including Panama’s Manuel Noriega and Guatemala’s Alfonso Portillo, convicted of drug trafficking in US courts.

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