Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was sentenced to 45 years in prison by a US judge on Wednesday (June 26), for charges of assisting drug trafficking and using firearms to support drug trafficking.
This ruling means that the 55-year-old Hernandez may spend the remainder of his life in prison unless his appeal is successful.
In March of this year, a jury in Manhattan, New York found Hernandez guilty of accepting millions of dollars in bribes to protect shipments of cocaine destined for the United States. The cocaine belonged to drug traffickers whom Hernandez had publicly claimed to be fighting against.
Prosecutors sought a life sentence for Hernandez, but his defense lawyers argued that the 40-year term (the minimum sentence required by federal law) was sufficient.
Hernandez led the United States’ ally Honduras in Central America from 2014 to 2022.
Prosecutors stated that he assisted in trafficking at least 400 tons of cocaine to the United States, fueling addiction and violence.
They also claimed that Hernandez used drug money to bribe officials and manipulated elections during the Honduran presidential campaigns in 2013 and 2017.
Hernandez denied the bribery allegations, stating that he fought against drug cartels during his presidency.
Hernandez appeared in court wearing an olive green prison uniform for the sentencing hearing, claiming he had been wrongly convicted. He specifically mentioned testimonies from convicted drug traffickers who alleged they had bribed him. Hernandez stated that these individuals testified against him to mitigate their own penalties and seek revenge.
After the verdict, Hernandez faced the journalists in the courtroom and said in Spanish, “soy inocente,” meaning “I am innocent.” He used a cane as US marshals escorted him out of the courtroom.
Since being extradited from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, in April 2022, Hernandez has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
US District Judge Kevin Castel said that Hernandez would remain at the detention center temporarily during his appeal process.
Hernandez’s brother, Tony Hernandez, was convicted of drug trafficking charges and sentenced to life in prison in March 2021. He has been incarcerated in California.