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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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If only they were so quick with Islamic state material..
@Eóghain Pádraig MacEochagáin: they are trying. It’s difficult, like here for example, when someone consistently spouts hateful rhetoric they get deleted only to come back under a different name. Their is worth a read: https://www.wired.com/2015/11/facebook-and-twitter-face-tough-choices-as-isis-exploits-social-media/
@Eóghain Pádraig MacEochagáin: That’s racist you know….
They say that on TV.
@Dave O Keeffe: like tony daly to mic
This is a start, now start banning pro Islamic state sites in the name of equality & safety.
@Matt Donovan: That has been happening across twitter, facebook & youtube for 2 years now
@Matt Donovan: You do know that they actually jail the people who run ISIS sites?
This is a more logical move to prevent the spread of a phoney and dangerous belief than removing historic statues which were placed there for different reasons at the time and are now part of history and heritage.
@winston smith: yeah leave the statues of the men who believed black people and their children should property of white men because they were superior least the black people today forget about what happened to their ancestors in their millions. The white men today might also get a bit upset.
No Deborah, there was a war of attrition, the reasoning is always blurred, but these generals fought for their people at the time and in appreciation the statues were erected in their honor. I don’t particularly appreciate the many statues of the virgin Mary/Jesus dotted around the country, mostly without planning, but I wouldn’t ask for their removal despite the many crimes committed by the church.
@Deborah Behan: so George Washington and the other slave owning founding fathers?
@Deborah Behan: Oh yeah, so why does nobody have a problem with monuments to the Founding Fathers, many of whom were themselves slave owners?
@Jason Power: Beat me to it!
@winston smith: The statues were not erected “at the time”, they went up in three waves.
The first at the time the Jim Crow laws were being enacted and during the “strange fruit” lynchings.. 1886–1920
Then at the time of widespread American naziism during the 1930′s and 40,s.
Then during the civil rights era from 1955-65.
The statues went up to glorify white supremecists like Lee because they stood for segregation and believed blacks were inferior.
Do some learning its handy.
Mr. O Sullivan, you need to read what’s in front of you… these generals fought for their people ‘at the time’…I never said the statues were erected ‘at the time’…that would be silly really without even reading up on it…defeated and subjugated people aren’t in a position to erect statues to their fallen leaders… this would obviously follow after a period and when confidence returned.
@Harry Whitehead: The founding fathers who owned slaves did not fight to uphold slavery, in fact many of them fought against slavery ferociously.
Remember that this was a time in history where as a rich man you could inherit many slaves and emancipating them was very difficult.
There is a *clear* distinction between people like Jefferson and Washington who were abolitionists at heart and someone like Lee, who thought slavery was necessary, and whose forces enslaved free blacks during settlement raids with his knowledge.
@winston smith: Oh so you didn’t write the following,
“This is a more logical move to prevent the spread of a phoney and dangerous belief than removing historic statues which were placed there for different reasons at the time and are now part of history and heritage”
I call you a liar….
@Deborah Behan: Leave the statues, change the narrative on the plaque.
Deleting accounts won’t help, they’ll just use it as argument that the left is imposing censorship which technically it is.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: no if you abide by the rules you get to use the service. If you break the rules you don’t. It’s not hard to understand.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: it’s not censorship, it’s abiding by the terms and conditions.
@Deborah Behan: so censorship.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: Racism and child porn should be censored.
@Ron North: *Racists and peadophiles would be a better way to phrase it.
Great news, maybe The Journal could adopt a more robust approach to racist commenters who persistently incite hatred.
@Atheos Euripides: LOL….Well if that happens you will be at the top of that list, you Christophobe and Jihadi lover. As Racism, Antisemitism and Bigotry are core principles of these groups
@Atheos Euripides: I second that, time for a cleanup.
Trump should banned from twitter
Removing Islamic state arrahh!!
They have such good ratings. Doesn’t everybody wants to see * being chopped off? I couldn’t imagine a sitcom evening without a nice long monologue detailing the glories of joining up or checking out the newest products on the suicide belt market. And the best part – all those virgins waiting around the corner… in paradise
Healy rae next
Too many people using Irish names on the journal and not Irish.
@realDonaldTrump is still active? It must a be work in progress.
@⚡ Seánie ⚡:
Trump is probably one of the few reasons why Twitter hasn’t died yet. Their growth in active users has completely stopped which is a terrible sign for a social media platform.
@Thought for Food: says you…. Using your twitter account.
have your say