(PatriotSpotlight.org) – Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is facing life behind bars after being found guilty on a trio of charges linked to cocaine trafficking into the United States.
Hernández, who led the Central American country between 2014 and 2022, was convicted by a New York jury on Friday, according to the US Justice Department (DOJ). He is set to be sentenced on June 26th. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Hernández abused his political position to transform the country into a narco-state in which violent drug traffickers could act with “virtual impunity.” The court heard how the 55-year-old ex-leader had colluded with the leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel to move 400 tons of cocaine into the US.
Charges against the ex-politico include conspiring to traffic cocaine into the US, which carries a mandatory prison time of 10 years minimum, as well as operating and owning machine guns and other destructive devices throughout his conspiracy to import the illicit substances, which carries a minimum consecutive prison term of 30 years. Hernández was also found guilty of conspiring to use and carry machine guns during the importation plot, a crime which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Court documents cited by the DOJ evidenced that Hernández had been at the apex “of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world” for almost two decades between 2004 and 2022. Hernández being sent down is a hit to the global drug trafficking empire he was involved in, but the road to tackling it comprehensively has barely begun.
Honduras’ weak borders, political corruption, and location have made it a major transit country for narcotics being trafficked from South America to the US and has suffered accordingly. Drug trafficking organizations are involved in consistent violent clashes which foment instability, damage social trust, and stunt economic growth. International partners including the U.S. have provided a degree of training, resources, and backing for Honduran law enforcement agencies.
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