Roving Periscope: In a first, an ex-president is sentenced to 45 years in another country!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has been sentenced to 45 years in a United States prison for his alleged role in “helping traffick cocaine worth USD 10 billion” into America, the media reported on Thursday.
He has also been fined USD 8 million for his role, as US prosecutors accused him of running a “narco-state” that smuggled over 400 tons of South American cocaine to the US while he was the President of Honduras from 2014 to 2022.
US District Judge Kevin Castel said Hernandez provided police and military support and helped to send drugs worth USD 10 billion to the United States.
Hernandez, 55, was found guilty of federal drug and weapons charges in March 2024. He was convicted in a US federal court on three counts, including cocaine importation and weapons offenses.
According to prosecutors, he built his political career on bribes from traffickers and protected them from extradition and prosecution.
Hernandez’s involvement in the drug trade dates back to at least 2004, when he was a congressman in Honduras.
He allegedly accepted bribes from drug traffickers in Honduras, Mexico, and beyond, in exchange for political favors and protection, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
As Hernandez’s political career advanced, so did his involvement in the drug trade. He became the President of Honduras in 2014 and used his position to expand his drug empire. He allegedly worked with some of the world’s largest drug traffickers, including the Sinaloa Cartel, to transport tons of cocaine through Honduras and into the US.
He presented himself as a crusader against drug trafficking in public, but in reality, he colluded with and protected the interests of drug traffickers who supported him, the reports said.
Hernandez selectively upheld extraditions, allowing certain drug traffickers to remain in Honduras while others were extradited to the US. He also used Honduran institutions, including the police and military, to protect his drug trafficking operation, according to the press release.
His drug empire was responsible for more than 130 murders, including the killings of rival traffickers and those who threatened his operation. His brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, was also involved in the drug trade and was convicted in the US for cocaine trafficking. Several others disappeared or were tortured; their fates were unknown.
Hernandez was convicted on three counts of importing cocaine into the US (10 years to life in prison), using machine guns and destructive devices in the drug trade (additional 30 years in prison), and conspiring to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices in the drug trade (up to life in prison).
