Elmer Martinez/Associated Press
- Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the US on Thursday.
- Hernández will face federal drugs and weapons charges.
- US officials said Hernández contributed to the importation of tons of cocaine into the US.
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the US on Thursday to face federal drug and weapons charges alleging that, for nearly two decades, he facilitated the transport of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
The Honduran government announced the extradition of Hernández, who served as president of Honduras from 2014 until January of this year after losing reelection in November.
Hernández was taken from Tegucigalpa on Thursday afternoon in a US Drug Enforcement Administration plane bound for New York, Justice Department officials said. Known by his initials — JOH — Hernandez is set to make an initial appearance Friday in Manhattan federal court.
At a press conference, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the charges resulted from a years-long investigation. Garland said Hernandez received millions of dollars from drug trafficking groups — including the Sinaloa cartel and it’s former leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman — to run Honduras as a “narco-state.”
“In return, drug traffickers in Honduras were allowed to operate with virtual impunity,” Garland said. “We allege that Hernández corrupted legitimate public institutions in the country– including parts of the national police, military, and national Congress.”
In a criminal indictment unsealed Thursday, prosecutors said Hernandez used his “drug- trafficking proceeds to enrich himself, finance his political campaigns, and commit voter fraud” in the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections.
During the Trump administration, US officials hailed Hernandez as a “valued and proven partner.” After agreeing to a deal that would allow the US to force some migrants to seek asylum in Honduras, he and former President Donald Trump shook hands during the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.
His standing fell sharply after leaving office. Shortly after stepping down as president in January, he was detained at his home in Tegucigalpa, prompting his lawyers to mount an unsuccessful bid to block the US government’s extradition request.
In the indictment, prosecutors painted Hernandez as deeply intent on flooding the US market with cocaine. Hernadez told one associate that he wanted to “stuff the drugs right up the noses of the gringos,” according to the indictment.
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