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FORMER HONDURAN PRESIDENT Juan Orlando Hernandez has been extradited to the United States to stand trial for allegedly aiding the smuggling of hundreds of tons of cocaine to America.
The 53-year-old, whose 2014-2022 stint as president was plagued by allegations of corruption, risks spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
AFP witnessed Hernandez’s departure from an air force base in Tegucigalpa on a Drug Enforcement Administration plane destined for the United States.
Hernandez is accused of having facilitated the smuggling of some 500 tons of cocaine – mainly from Colombia and Venezuela – to the United States via Honduras since 2004, starting long before his presidency.
In turn, he allegedly received “millions of dollars in bribes… from multiple narcotrafficking organizations in Honduras, Mexico and other places,” according to a US Embassy document.
Not even three weeks after leaving office following elections, a warrant was issued for Hernandez’s arrest at Washington’s request, and he surrendered to police on 15 February.
He was then held at a police special forces prison in the capital Tegucigalpa.
Hernandez portrayed himself as an ally of the US war on drugs during his tenure, helping to extradite several narcotics kingpins.
Washington even supported his re-election in 2017 despite a constitutional one-term limit and accusations of voting fraud.
But several drug traffickers since told US prosecutors they had paid bribes to the president’s inner circle, and by the time he left office, US drug enforcers were ready to move against Hernandez.
‘Narco-state’
US prosecutors say the former president turned Honduras into a “narco-state” by involving the military, police and civilians in drug trafficking to the United States.
An alleged Hernandez associate, Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez, was sentenced in the United States in February to life in prison and a fine of $151.7 million for smuggling tons of cocaine with the ex-president’s aid, according to prosecutors.
And his brother, ex-congressman Tony Hernandez, was given a life sentence in the United States in March 2021 for drug trafficking crimes in which Juan Orlando Hernandez was said to have been a co-conspirator.
This month, a judge authorized the extradition to the United States of former national police chief Juan Carlos Bonilla, accused of running drug trafficking operations for Hernandez.
The former president denies the allegations against him.
Hernandez left office on 27 January when leftist Xiomara Castro became president of this country, which has a poverty rate of at least 60% among its 10 million inhabitants.
On 28 March, the 15-member Supreme Court of Honduras – all judges appointed during Hernandez’s first term – ratified his extradition.
In a statement, the former president’s family protested his “innocence” and said he was a “victim of revenge by the drug traffickers he himself had extradited or forced to flee to the United States.”
These had told lies about Hernandez in a bid to have their own sentences reduced, the relatives said.
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We all share the oceans, these fishermen have to learn to play nice with our allies.
@Crocodylus Pontifex: Codswallop
@Crocodylus Pontifex: So the needless destruction of sea life and the potential damage to our fishing industry is justified so we can keep in with our allies?… Last time I looked at a map France had a coast line that stretches west beyond the horizon too. If they feel the need to destroy sea life, they can do it on their patch.
@Paul Linehan: yes, yes it’s is
@Paul Linehan: they have been destroying the oceans long before ..now …remember when they blew up the Greenpeace boat Ted …that was gas.
@Crocodylus Pontifex: Nonsense, the French will only see us as their allies when we are part of their military alliance. Perhaps thats why we are reading these headlines a lot of late. This is all part of the great softening up of the Irish public, to change our neutrality policy.
The oceans are big enough for the French to play their war games – but not in Irish waters. Coveney better get he act together and drop the double standards the tell his EU partners to stick to French waters and away from Irelands.
@Crocodylus Pontifex: we do not all share the oceans – we have by international agreements areas know as territorial waters and also economic zones and fishing zones – all set up to avoid conflict over operations and resources. So please try and get even basic facts correct as failure to do so undermines everything that follows
@Angela McCarthy: “The great softening up” – Did you just give birth to a new conspiracy theory or is this already trending?
@Crocodylus Pontifex: why can’t the French do it un there waters.
@JusticeForJoe: Well Joe, unless you have been asleep for the last while, you would have heard much talk, particularly under the cloak of the invasion of Ukraine that Ireland cannot stand alone and neutral in to the future, by various government FFG spokes persons.
Yes, from where Im viewing things – first the Russians and now the French wanting to play war in our waters? It all plays well for those who have become very vocal about dropping our military neutrality as the scaremongering steps up a gear. Yes “the great softening up”.
As for a conspiracy theory Joe? perhaps its not happening at all, and I just dreamt it all and the French and Russians are just dropping in to give us food parcels. And perhaps our wise political leaders of FFG who have recently questioned our current military neutrality, are not really serious but are merely fine-tuning policy issues for the next general election, after which they will be forgotten about again.
@Paul Linehan: I made a map showing where the exercise is located:
https://i.imgur.com/O8Mr0zw.png
It’s also in the UK, France and Spain’s EEZ.
@Crocodylus Pontifex: Have France not theo own Waywrs to test in
@Crocodylus Pontifex: its alright the French have environmentally friendly ordnance and Ships unlike those really bad Russians……
@Paul Linehan: They are doing it in their patch.
@Crocodylus Pontifex: Do you honestly think for one second that the French government would allow Ireland to do the same thing off the French coast? ( or any other countries for that matter)
@Owen O’Murchú: No it’s not specially when we the taxpayer’s are been taxed to the hilt in order to try to improve the planet, it all seems such a waste of time & money when our so called governments are hell bent on distroying it!
@Crocodylus Pontifex: funny how the evil Russians negotiated without fishermen but European buddies blunderbus their way in uninvited. There a reason the Irish for French and Rat is the same
That is a great action by the fishermen……No military exercises…no excuses. I assume Mr Coveny will carry out the same objection as to the Russian Federation exercises.
While he’s at it he might do something about the French trawlers fishing in Irish waters
Believe me when WW3 happens we will need France a lot more than they will need us
@Robert Johnson Fagan: if you ask me history always repeat it’s self and the younger generation dont see it happening
@Robert Johnson Fagan: Why would we need them?.
@Roy Dowling: Because they are one of Europe’s largest military powers. Might be a good time for us be a bit more cooperative given what’s going on in the world right now
@Roy Dowling: if you need to ask there is not too much hope for you
@Robert Johnson Fagan: I think France and Ireland need fish to eat sooner than ww3. Missiles are no use if can’t put food on the table
@Simon: Most of the common fish stocks are on dangerously low levels an also have high levels of mercury and other chemicals in them these days. It’s not a healthy food anymore and nobody NEEDS fish for food.
@Robert Johnson Fagan: they will need somewhere to retreat to.
@Robert Johnson Fagan: So you don’t know why we’d need them?. Because let’s be honest were under no threat of being invaded. Anyone who believes we are need to have a rethink
@Robert Johnson Fagan: let’s be honest John. For Russia to get here with enough of an army to take and hold this country they need their navy. Half of which is in the black sea no threat to us. Other half is thousands of miles away. If WW3 starts by the time they mobilise Thier fleet and enough soldiers, tanks, APC, artillery etc and set sail NATO would have mobilised a massive fleet in the UK and Iceland and set up patrol to search for russian ships and planes. Now do you really think NATO forces will let the Russians through so they can take Ireland and have a flank NATO forces?. And you do think Russia will ignore all the NATO countries on main land Europe who’s armies are geared up to and ready to fight them so they can invade Ireland. Do you really think we’re that important?
@Roy Dowling: So should we just join NATO?
@Tom Leddy: Why? To fight Thier fight. you all seem to think NATO would be protecting us but they are not. They are protecting their flank. Last thing they need is russian ships in the Atlantic. NATO’s fleet will be around iceland and Norway both NATO member states and both have NATO bases. To place their fleet anywhere else doesn’t make sense because Russia has to come from their as there fleet in the black sea ain’t getting out of their. So for Russia to even attempt to get to us it has to get through the US Atlantic fleet, the Royal navy and every other NATO member ship in the area. You seriously think they’ll let Russia out into the Atlantic past 2 NATO member states?
@Tom Leddy: You’ll be wearing the green down at Ballyporeen,
The town of the little potato.
Put your arms around Garret and dangle your carrot,
But you’ll never get me to join NATO .
@Roy Dowling: I didn’t offer an opinion on joining NATO, I simply asked you for your opinion and you went off on a rant as usual.
@G Row.: I actually live very close to Ballyporeen. It’s a fine village in fairness.
@Robert Johnson Fagan: when WW111 happens, there will be nobody around to need anything from anyone.
@lelookcoco: They were the largest military power in Europe at the outset of WW2, but one of the first to surrender.
@Robert Johnson Fagan: why would be even involved it just another great reason to stop a European army.
Ffs, the exercise is taking place in Frances territory, they have simply said that due to the nature of the weapons used they could land in the Irish waters. It’s not like they are sailing into the Irish waters to do this like the Russians planned.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander! Is that expression still used and understand? The reasons for requesting the move out of the Irish economic zone is the same regardless of the nations or alliances involved
Are you talking about the French needlessly destroying sea life or the fishermen? Who put absolutely nothing back into the ocean and needlessly and indiscriminately destroy many species of fish other than what they fishing for.
Don’t rock the boat with the big boys in the EU. Big jobs promised.
Might be nothing to do with fishing and more about protection of undersea cables from a reported sabotage threat ?
No more French Fries for me, I’ll be having chips from here on out. The Russians were far more obliging than these lads.
Dublin Bay prawns instead of West Cork prawns so.
@Garreth Byrne: Mais non! Des langoustines
We send in the best
If the “Tsar Bomba” was dropped in Dublin people in Roscommon would get 3rd degree burns from the fallout. That’s the problem with Putins arsenal.
@François Pignon: the Tsar Bomba is in a museum.
There are two of them. The other one is pretty much to heavy to get airborne at speed. So essentially the lumbering flight to drop it would be taken out before it got to the drop zone.
have your say