Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, was sentenced to 45 years in prison by a US judge on Wednesday.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay an $8 million fine for his involvement in aiding drug traffickers in importing large quantities of cocaine to the US. Despite the charges against him, Hernandez has consistently maintained his innocence.
Since his extradition to the US in April 2022, the 55-year-old had been held in a New York jail. Prosecutors alleged that Hernandez collaborated with influential drug cartels, facilitating the transportation of over 400 tons of cocaine to the US through Honduras during his time in office.
At his sentencing, Hernandez proclaimed his innocence, stating that he had been wrongly and unjustly accused. However, in March, a Manhattan jury found him guilty of accepting millions of dollars in bribes to protect drug trafficking networks, despite publicly claiming to combat them.
The judge presiding over the case noted that Hernandez displayed significant acting skills, attempting to portray himself as an anti-drug trafficking advocate. Prosecutors further revealed that the Honduran National Police were utilized to shield the cocaine trade as part of Hernandez’s alleged scheme. They asserted that Hernandez had been involved with drug traffickers since 2004 and had received substantial bribes.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement on Wednesday, stating that Hernandez had abused his position as president, effectively turning Honduras into a narco-state where violent drug traffickers operated with little consequence.
During the trial, which spanned two weeks, prosecutors also claimed that Hernandez used drug money to bribe officials and manipulate voting results in the Honduran presidential elections of 2013 and 2017. Testimonies from convicted traffickers, who served as witnesses, implicated Hernandez in bribery, murders, and his assistance to some of the world’s most influential cocaine dealers.
The magnitude of murders linked to drug trafficking throughout Hernandez’ time in politics was described as “astonishing” by the US judge. One witness in the drug trafficking trial confessed to being involved in 56 killings, while another implicated the former president in 78 murders.
Prosecutors had requested a life sentence, arguing that it would send a message to other politicians who abuse their authority to shield criminal organizations.
Hernandez served as the president of Honduras from 2014 until 2022. He was apprehended at his residence in Tegucigalpa three months after leaving office and subsequently extradited to the United States.
