Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was praised by President Donald Trump for "stopping drugs at a level that has never happened," was extradited by Honduras to the United States on narcotics charges. 1 He appeared before a federal magistrate judge the next day and pled not guilty at his arraignment on May 10. 2 A tentative trial date has been set for January 17, 2023.3 In the sealed superseding indictment that was handed down hours after he left office on January 27, 2022, 4 Hernández had been charged by a federal grand jury with three counts: conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States (count one); possession of machine guns and destructive devices during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (count two); and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices (count three).5 Though the allegations were for violations of federal narcotics laws, they amounted to charges of public corruption, as Hernández was accused of accepting bribes to use his official position, including while president, to protect traffickers transshipping cocaine through Honduras to the United States in order to enrich himself and secure and maintain political power.Honduras, the indictment alleged, was a "narco-state" during the Hernández presidency.6 If found guilty, Hernández could be sentenced to life in prison.Hernández's indictment was anticipated, as he was implicated publicly as a co-conspirator (CC-4) in multiple prosecutions since 2019, including during the criminal proceedings against his brother, Juan Antonio (Tony) Hernández, a former member of the Honduran National Congress who was convicted on federal drug charges (including the same charges that would later be brought against his brother) on October 18, 2019.7 Tony Hernández is 1 Parker Asmann, How "El Chapo" Allegedly Helped Put One of Trump's "Proven Partners" into Power, BUS.INSIDER (July 14, 2020), at
DOI: 10.1017/ajil.2022.63
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4307897533