Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez Sentenced to 45 Years for Drug Trafficking

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has been sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined USD 8 million for drug trafficking offences. Hernandez, who served as president from 2014 to 2022, was found guilty of conspiring with drug cartels to move over 400 tonnes of cocaine through Honduras to the United States.

Hernandez denied the charges, insisting he was wrongly accused. He was extradited from Honduras after the US Department of Justice filed charges against him in 2022. Prosecutors accused him of receiving millions in bribes to support his political rise and using his power to protect drug traffickers who supported him.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Hernandez abused his position to run Honduras as a narco-state, allowing violent drug traffickers to operate with impunity, affecting both Honduras and the United States.