See Reasons US Jails former president for 45 Years
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez Sentenced to 45 Years for Drug Trafficking
On Wednesday, a New York court sentenced ex-Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez to 45 years in prison after being found guilty of smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.
Protesters opposed to Hernandez gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse before the sentencing, holding signs condemning his actions.
The sentence, which also included an $8 million fine, was less severe than the life imprisonment prosecutors had requested. However, Hernandez, now 55, could spend the rest of his life in prison.
U.S. federal prosecutors accused Hernandez of turning Honduras into a “narco-state” during his presidency from 2014 to 2022. Hernandez has indicated through his lawyers that he plans to appeal the conviction.
Hernandez was convicted in March for facilitating the smuggling of approximately 500 tons of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to the U.S. via Honduras since 2004, well before his presidency.
Prosecutors stated that Hernandez used drug money to enrich himself, fund his political campaigns, and commit electoral fraud in the 2013 and 2017 elections. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2022 on charges of aiding drug traffickers in exchange for millions in bribes.
Hernandez joins other former Latin American leaders convicted in the U.S., such as Panama’s Manuel Noriega in 1992 and Guatemala’s Alfonso Portillo in 2014.
