A New York court on Wednesday handed down a 45-year prison sentence to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, following his conviction for trafficking massive amounts of cocaine into the United States. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse in Manhattan, holding signs denouncing Hernandez's crimes.
Judge Kevin Castel stated, "The role of Mr Hernandez was to use his political power as president of Congress and president of Honduras to limit the risks of drug traffickers in exchange of money." Castel noted that Hernandez provided support from the police and military, facilitating the shipment of 400 tons of drugs worth $10 billion at market prices to the US.
The sentence, which included an $8 million fine, was less than the life imprisonment sought by prosecutors. However, given Hernandez's age of 55, he may spend the rest of his life in prison. Hernandez's legal team has indicated their intention to appeal the conviction.
Prosecutors accused Hernandez of turning Honduras into a "narco-state" during his presidency from 2014 to 2022. He was convicted in March of facilitating the smuggling of approximately 500 tons of cocaine, primarily from Colombia and Venezuela, to the United States via Honduras since 2004, long before his presidency. Hernandez allegedly used the drug money to enrich himself, finance his political campaigns, and commit electoral fraud in the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections.
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Initially, Hernandez presented himself as a champion of the war on drugs and was seen by Washington as an ally in the fight. In 2017, the United States was among the first countries to recognize his re-election, despite the opposition's allegations of fraud and violent protests that resulted in around 30 deaths.
Hernandez's downfall was swift. Immediately after handing over power to the new left-wing president Xiomara Castro, the ex-president was shackled and paraded before journalists. He joins the ranks of other former Latin American heads of state convicted in the United States, such as Panama's Manuel Noriega in 1992 and Guatemala's Alfonso Portillo in 2014.
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