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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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Is there a special queue for celebrities and public figures?
@John O Reilly: if there is it would be interesting to see the about of jumping the que that would go on
@John O Reilly: It’s only for those that cant handle it. The vast majority are probably fine.
addiction is a disease. would you stop giving treatment to cancer patients cuz it didn’t work the first time?
@Stiles: my response is @wolfgang
@Stiles: Difference is: Anyone can get cancer!
It’s mostly not a choice. You can increase the risk of getting it (smoking, drinking, etc.), but these people choose to take the risk – mostly.
You’re not getting addicted because you try cocaine, heroine or whatever ones.
Cocaine is not that cheap, even in Ireland (according to Google).
So, why should feel sorry for someone who failed the program twice or more?
The problem is today, EVERYTHING has been classed as an addiction, because something happens in your brain.
You’re fat = food addiction, You gamble your money away = gambling addiction. Even sex: You’re cheating = sex addiction.
The “addiction” label on everything has become a free for all and the taxpayer has to pick up the tap.
@Stiles: Billionaires are the most deadly addicts of all
@Wolfgang Bonow: good rant Wolfgang.. hopefully you feel better now… but you’re wrong.. WHO recognises addiction as a disease.. its typically trauma that makes a person become an addict.. its always people who are far removed from the issue that make statements like yours.. I’ll bet none of your immediate loved ones have suffered from it. addiction isn’t a choice.. also you say the tax payer has to pick up the tab.. if you don’t help these people it’s likely the taxpayer will be more out of pocket with other issues created.. plus lots of addicts are taxpayers.. there’s a lot of misconcieved problems in your comment.. but work away…
@Stiles: the WHO had a re think on that a number of years ago actually
@Stiles: I don’t think it was a rant. Having cancer or an addiction are NOT the same thing. I hope we can agree at least on this part?
I also agree somewhat, that “addiction is not a choice”.
If I have 10 cans of beer every night = I have a problem.
If I need cocaine to do whatever = I have a problem.
I can get the beer in any shop, But: I have to look to get cocaine.
There’s no chance you can get “by accident” or convenience to get into cocaine.
My point was: You have have children classified as “gaming addicted”.
That’s in 99.9% just an excuse for bad parenting.
A lot of “addicted”, the ones who have a job normal live, use the addiction as an excuse.
Let’s be blunt: Anyone out there who likes a pint or eating or anything else, has today 100′s of excuses why he might be addicted and get it confirmed, because NOBODY can look into your head.
@mainmsam: no they didn’t.. just Google it..
@Wolfgang Bonow: you’re making unrelated points.. I’m talking about people being addicted to substances.. your suggestion with regards ten cans of beer being available in every shop but you have to look to get cocaine shows your lack of knowledge on the topic.. getting coke is as easy as getting beer, often easier, because dealers don’t go by off licence hours, plus they can deliver, plus they don’t ask for id, plus they give it to you on tick.. You’re not knowledgeable about this subject so I’d ask you to take this into account before being as opinionated as you are on it. addiction most often occurs after a traumatic life event and use a substance to ease their suffering before eventually becoming reliant on that substance. it’s actually a problem with the persons brain. research it..
@Stiles: don’t need to buddy, I’m 21 years sober I know they changed their thinking on it
“In total, 45% of the 4,084 cases involving cocaine were cases where the person was receiving treatment for a cocaine addiction for the first time”.
How many were on the 2nd or 3rd?
Maybe it’s time to size down the support a bit?
@Wolfgang Bonow: Always interested in how numbers are presented in a media context. trying to figure out the actual amounts (which should be shown) is always a maths problem, anytime that’s the case, people have a right to be highly suspect.
The drug of the insecure. Thats why its so prevelent
Delighted the welfare cuts are causing huge stress amongUkrainian chancers
Minimum unit pricing on alcohol is working nicely, could go further perhaps and ban it totally
“Cocaine, all around my brain”.
have your say