Specifically, Hernández, 55, was just convicted by a New York court of helping to transport more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes. In addition, the jury also convicted him of two counts related to possessing machine guns and explosive devices.
Mr. Juan Orlando Hernández served as president of Honduras for two terms, from 2014 to 2022 - Photo: ABC
The verdict marked the downfall of a powerful figure who had dominated Honduran politics for nearly a decade. Mr. Hernández was once seen as a key ally of the United States in the war on drugs. But he ended up becoming a rare former foreign head of state to face prosecution on U.S. soil.
During the two-week trial, a series of former drug traffickers testified that former President Hernández used his political power to protect illegal shipments passing through the country by land, sea and air.
Witnesses described secret meetings, including one in which notorious former Mexican cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán agreed to provide $1 million to Mr. Hernández’s presidential campaign.
The jury saw photos of Mr. Hernández with traffickers and drug ledgers that prosecutors said had his initials next to payments.
Prosecutors said the money helped advance Mr. Hernández’s political career. In return, the former president provided armed escorts for gang members and provided information to help their drug planes avoid law enforcement radar.
Juan Orlando Hernandez to be extradited to the US in 2022 - Photo: New York Times
Mr. Hernández has denied the charges and called many of the prosecution’s witnesses professional liars. The former president’s lawyers say some of those who testified are murderers and deliberately lying to seek revenge on Mr. Hernández or seek a lighter sentence.
Mr. Hernández served two consecutive four-year terms as president of Honduras before leaving office in 2022. Weeks after handing over power to his successor, Xiomara Castro, he was arrested and later extradited to the United States.
In 2021, Hernández’s predecessor, former President Porfirio Lobo, was also barred from entering the United States on drug trafficking charges. Lobo’s son, Fabio, who testified against Hernández, is serving a 24-year prison sentence after admitting to smuggling cocaine to the United States.
Last month, one of Honduras' most prominent former police chiefs, Juan Carlos Bonilla, aka “El Tigre,” was extradited to the United States on cocaine trafficking charges.
In 2021, a New York federal court convicted former President Hernández's brother, Tony Hernández, of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy and sentenced him to life in prison.
According to the Wall Street Journal, former President Hernández is also expected to receive a life sentence. Meanwhile, Mr. Hernández's lawyer still insists that his client is innocent and declares that he will appeal the verdict.
Nguyen Khanh (according to Wall Street Journal)
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