Ex-Honduran president defends himself at New York drug trafficking trial
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Ex-Honduran president defends himself at New York drug trafficking trial

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández took the witness stand in his defense at his New York trial on Tuesday, denying that he teamed up with drug dealers to protect them in return for millions of dollars in bribes. But Hernández said the opposite, testifying that he worked against the interest of drug traffickers because they “did a lot of damage to my country.” Prosecutors say Hernández, who served as president from 2014 to 2022, used his Central American nation’s military and police to help drug dealers move cocaine through the country on its way to America. The ex-president’s brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, a former Honduran congressman, was sentenced in 2021 in Manhattan federal court to life in prison for his own conviction on drug charges. Prosecutors say Tony Hernández secured and distributed millions of dollars in bribes from 2004 to 2019 from drug dealers for his country’s politicians, including $1 million from notorious Mexican capo Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman for Juan Orlando Hernández.

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History of this topic

Bolivia extradites former anti-narcotics chief to the US to face drug trafficking charges
1 week, 5 days ago

Bolivia extradites former anti-narcotics chief to the US to face drug trafficking charges

Associated Press  

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia’s former anti-narcotics chief was extradited to the United States on Thursday to face federal drug trafficking charges in a New York court. Authorities said that Maximiliano Dávila, who served as anti-narcotics chief in the final months of Evo Morales ’ 2006-2019 administration, helped facilitate planeload shipments of cocaine to the United States. Morales expelled the …

Mexican president issues public appeal to drug cartels not to fight after detention of drug lord
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Mexican president issues public appeal to drug cartels not to fight after detention of drug lord

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president took the unusual step Monday of issuing a public appeal to drug cartels not to fight each other following last week’s detention of top Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at his daily press briefing that he trusted that drug traffickers knew they would …

Former Honduran president sentenced for helping traffickers get tons of cocaine into US
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Former Honduran president sentenced for helping traffickers get tons of cocaine into US

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Ex-Honduran president sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison for helping drug traffickers
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Ex-Honduran president sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison for helping drug traffickers

LA Times  

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, second from right, is taken in handcuffs to a waiting aircraft as he is extradited to the United States at an Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in April 2022. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced Wednesday in New York for his conviction on charges that he enabled drug traffickers to use …

The criminal hypocrisy of Hernandez’s drug conviction in a US court
9 months, 1 week ago

The criminal hypocrisy of Hernandez’s drug conviction in a US court

Al Jazeera  

The US has a long history of propping up Latin American politicians involved in drug trafficking. Following the conviction, US Attorney General Merrick Garland accused Hernández of having run Honduras as a “narco-state where violent drug traffickers were allowed to operate with virtual impunity”. Take the case of Hernández’s fellow Central American leader Manuel Noriega, the late drug-running dictator of …

Hondurans cheer a rare win over their corrupt politicians, far from home
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Hondurans cheer a rare win over their corrupt politicians, far from home

Al Jazeera  

New York City, New York – The defendant, greying and pale after two years in a jail cell, lowered his head in a final prayer as the verdict was read. For almost three weeks, defence lawyers for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez had tried to persuade jurors in a federal courtroom here that the state’s witnesses of convicted drug …

Former president of Honduras convicted in U.S. of aiding drug traffickers
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Former president of Honduras convicted in U.S. of aiding drug traffickers

LA Times  

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández had acknowledged in trial testimony that drug money was paid to virtually all political parties in Honduras, but he denied accepting bribes himself. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was convicted Friday in New York of charges that he conspired with drug traffickers and used his military and national police force to enable tons …

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez guilty in drug trafficking case
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez guilty in drug trafficking case

Al Jazeera  

The former two-term president was convicted on weapons and drug-related charges after being extradited to the US. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, 55, has been found guilty in a New York federal courtroom of participating in a scheme to ship cocaine through his country and into the United States. US prosecutors said he also used his office to protect …

Hondurans glued to their former president’s U.S. drug trafficking trial
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Hondurans glued to their former president’s U.S. drug trafficking trial

LA Times  

In this courtroom sketch from federal court in New York on Feb. 20, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, seated center at the defense table, turns to look at prospective jurors during the jury selection process at the start of his trial. Hernández took the witness stand in his defense at his New York trial on Tuesday, denying that he …

Ex-Honduran president defends himself at New York drug trafficking trial
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Ex-Honduran president defends himself at New York drug trafficking trial

LA Times  

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, shown in a courtroom sketch during jury selection on Feb. 20, denied being associated with drug dealers Tuesday. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández took the witness stand in his defense at his New York trial on Tuesday, denying that he teamed up with drug dealers to protect them in return for millions of …

At trial's start, ex-Honduran president cast as corrupt politician by US but a hero by his lawyer
10 months ago

At trial's start, ex-Honduran president cast as corrupt politician by US but a hero by his lawyer

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Former Honduran President Juan …

Honduran ex-president accused of running his country as a ‘narco-state’ stands trial in NYC
10 months ago

Honduran ex-president accused of running his country as a ‘narco-state’ stands trial in NYC

Hindustan Times  

NEW YORK — Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was once touted by U.S. authorities as a key ally in the war on drugs. That Hernández is being tried in the U.S. rather than his native country underscores Honduras’ institutional weakness, says Raúl Pineda Alvarado, a Honduran political analyst and former three-term congressman from Hernández’s National Party. Federal prosecutors in …

Honduran ex-president on trial in New York, accused of running country as a ‘narco-state’
10 months ago

Honduran ex-president on trial in New York, accused of running country as a ‘narco-state’

LA Times  

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, center, in a courtroom sketch of his appearance in federal court in New York City on Tuesday, nearly two years after his extradition to the U.S. on drug trafficking and weapons charges. Federal prosecutors in New York spent years working their way up through Honduran drug trafficking organizations before reaching the person many believed …

Ex-head of Honduras police pleads guilty to drug trafficking; darkens outlook for ex-president
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Ex-head of Honduras police pleads guilty to drug trafficking; darkens outlook for ex-president

Associated Press  

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — For years, Juan Carlos Bonilla, better known as “El Tigre,” was a feared figure in Honduras. By pleading guilty to a single drug trafficking charge, Bonilla avoided a trial scheduled to begin Monday and likely a much longer sentence. “It reinforces the accusatory thesis that it is an organized structure made up of three perpetrators who are …

Mexican president suggests U.S. talks on migration and drugs may suffer after drug money allegations
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Mexican president suggests U.S. talks on migration and drugs may suffer after drug money allegations

LA Times  

Mexico’s president suggested Thursday that talks with the U.S. government on migration and drug trafficking could suffer after media reports of a U.S. investigation into alleged drug money donations for his 2006 campaign. “I don’t accept this, what I want is for the U.S. government to take a stand,” López Obrador said at his daily morning press briefing. López Obrador …

Mexican president calls on civilians not to support drug cartels even if they pressure them
11 months ago

Mexican president calls on civilians not to support drug cartels even if they pressure them

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president called on citizens Friday not to support drug cartels, or oppose the installation of National Guard barracks, after a number of videos surfaced showing residents cheering convoys of cartel gunmen. Several videos have been posted on social media in recent weeks of villages in southern Chiapas, showing farmers lining roadways near the border with Guatemala …

Mexico’s former drug czar found guilty of taking payoffs to protect cartels
1 year, 10 months ago

Mexico’s former drug czar found guilty of taking payoffs to protect cartels

LA Times  

Mexico’s former top law enforcement official — once tasked with fighting the country’s drug cartels — was convicted in New York on Tuesday of taking millions of dollars in bribes from traffickers. Genaro García Luna, who headed Mexico’s federal police before serving as the nation’s secretary of public security more than a decade ago, was found guilty of cooperating with …

Mexico’s former safety chief goes on trial in US drug case
1 year, 11 months ago

Mexico’s former safety chief goes on trial in US drug case

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Shielded by anonymity and extra security, jurors got their first look Monday at a rare U.S. trial of a former cabinet-level Mexican official charged with taking bribes to aid drug traffickers he was supposed to be neutralizing. García Luna’s lead lawyer, César de Castro, told jurors that the government’s case rested on “rumors, speculation and the words …

Mexico’s former top cop took drug cartel bribes, prosecutors say in New York trial
1 year, 11 months ago

Mexico’s former top cop took drug cartel bribes, prosecutors say in New York trial

LA Times  

Genaro García Luna, shown in 2010 when he was Mexico’s secretary of public safety, is on trial in New York on federal drug trafficking charges. García Luna’s lead lawyer, César de Castro, told jurors that the government’s case rested on “rumors, speculation and the words of some of the biggest criminals in the world.” “No money, no photos, no video, …

Why the arrest of cartel kingpins like Ovidio Guzman fuels drug violence in Mexico
1 year, 11 months ago

Why the arrest of cartel kingpins like Ovidio Guzman fuels drug violence in Mexico

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Thursday’s arrest of Ovidio “El Raton” Guzman, son …

Alleged Mexican cartel hitman extradited to North Dakota
2 years, 3 months ago

Alleged Mexican cartel hitman extradited to North Dakota

Associated Press  

FARGO, N.D. — An accused prolific hitman for a Mexican drug cartel has been transferred to face federal charges in North Dakota, nearly 11 years after he was apprehended in Tijuana. Authorities said Sillas-Rocha was a top lieutenant for the Arellano Felix cartel, which for decades smuggled cocaine, marijuana and other drugs into the United States. Sillas-Rocha, known as “Ruedas,” …

Honduras ex-President Hernandez pleads not guilty in US court
2 years, 7 months ago

Honduras ex-President Hernandez pleads not guilty in US court

Al Jazeera  

Former president’s lawyer says Hernandez, who is facing drug charges, is being treated like a ‘prisoner of war’. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to drug charges in the United States, with his lawyer complaining that he is being held like a “prisoner of war” in a New York federal jail. “Honduras became one of the …

Otoniel shipped ‘outrageous’ amounts of cocaine to US: Prosecutor
2 years, 7 months ago

Otoniel shipped ‘outrageous’ amounts of cocaine to US: Prosecutor

Al Jazeera  

The accused Colombian drug trafficker pleads not guilty to two charges after being extradited to the US from Bogota. One of Colombia’s most notorious drug traffickers shipped “outrageous quantities of cocaine” into the United States, a top US prosecutor has said, a day after Dairo Antonio Usuga was extradited to face charges in New York. “Today he will finally face …

Honduras ex-president Hernández extradited to US
2 years, 8 months ago

Honduras ex-president Hernández extradited to US

Associated Press  

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras extradited former President Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States on Thursday to face drug trafficking and weapons charges in a dramatic reversal for a leader once touted by U.S. authorities as a key ally in the war on the drugs. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Hernandez “abused his position as President of Honduras from …

Honduras ex-President Hernandez makes first US court appearance
2 years, 8 months ago

Honduras ex-President Hernandez makes first US court appearance

Al Jazeera  

Juan Orlando Hernandez faces drug trafficking and weapons charges after being extradited to the United States this week. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has made his first appearance in US court after being extradited to the country to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. The US Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday that Hernandez – once viewed …

Honduras ex-President Hernandez on way to US to face drug charges
2 years, 8 months ago

Honduras ex-President Hernandez on way to US to face drug charges

Al Jazeera  

US authorities accuse Juan Orlando Hernandez of receiving millions in bribes as part of a drug-trafficking scheme. The US has charged former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez with drug and weapons offences, the Justice Department said, accusing the 53-year-old of abusing his power to run Honduras like a “narco-state”. “Hernandez abused his position as President of Honduras … to operate …

‘An extradition foretold’: Honduras reacts to ex-president’s fate
2 years, 8 months ago

‘An extradition foretold’: Honduras reacts to ex-president’s fate

Al Jazeera  

As Honduran top court clears way for Juan Orlando Hernandez to face charges in US, experts say fight against corruption continues. Tegucigalpa, Honduras – After a six-week legal battle closely watched by Hondurans, the country’s top court has cleared the way for former President Juan Orlando Hernandez to be tried in the United States on drug trafficking and weapons charges. …

Honduras top court OKs ex-President Hernandez’s extradition to US
2 years, 8 months ago

Honduras top court OKs ex-President Hernandez’s extradition to US

Al Jazeera  

Juan Orlando Hernandez is wanted in the United States on drug trafficking and firearms charges, which he has denied. The top court in Honduras has backed the extradition of former President Juan Orlando Hernandez to the United States, where he is wanted on drug trafficking and firearms charges. The Honduras Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Hernandez, 53, …

EXPLAINER: Ex-Honduras leader long in US prosecutors’ sights
2 years, 10 months ago

EXPLAINER: Ex-Honduras leader long in US prosecutors’ sights

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández was arrested at the request of the United States on drug trafficking charges Tuesday and a Honduran judge will decide if he is eventually extradited to stand trial in the U.S. Most of the allegations those prosecutors have made against Hernández come from two trials, that of Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, …

Honduras ex-President Hernandez detained as US seeks extradition
2 years, 10 months ago

Honduras ex-President Hernandez detained as US seeks extradition

Al Jazeera  

The US is seeking to extradite former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on drug trafficking allegations. Police in Honduras have detained former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, after a judge ordered his arrest amid an extradition request from the United States on accusations of drug trafficking. Honduras’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said via Twitter on Monday that it had notified …

Honduras: Hernandez surrounded after US requests extradition
2 years, 10 months ago

Honduras: Hernandez surrounded after US requests extradition

Al Jazeera  

Hernandez left office on January 27 with the swearing-in of President Xiomara Castro. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has said he is ready to collaborate with the national police, hours after authorities surrounded his house amid US government requests that he be arrested and extradited to Washington. Honduras’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said via Twitter on Monday that …

Ex-top drug cop in Bolivia charged with cocaine trafficking
2 years, 10 months ago

Ex-top drug cop in Bolivia charged with cocaine trafficking

Associated Press  

MIAMI — A former Bolivian antinarcotics chief has been charged in the U.S. with conspiring to provide top-level protection for cocaine shipments to the United States. “Instead of rooting out drug trafficking in that country, Dávila-Perez worked in partnership with Bolivian drug labs and sought to send more than a thousand kilograms of cocaine to the United States,” U.S. Attorney …

Ex-top drug cop in Bolivia charged with cocaine trafficking
2 years, 10 months ago

Ex-top drug cop in Bolivia charged with cocaine trafficking

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Instead of rooting out drug trafficking in that country, Dávila-Perez worked in partnership with …

US bars Honduran ex-president Lobo over alleged corruption
3 years, 5 months ago

US bars Honduran ex-president Lobo over alleged corruption

Al Jazeera  

The United States has blocked former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa and his immediate family from travel to the US, alleging that he accepted bribes from drug traffickers, the US State Department announced on Tuesday. “While in office, President Lobo accepted bribes from the narco-trafficking organization Los Cachiros in exchange for political favours,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. …

Brother of Honduran president sentenced to life in drug case
3 years, 8 months ago

Brother of Honduran president sentenced to life in drug case

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The brother of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after he was convicted at a trial that a prosecutor said exposed him as a central figure in one of the world’s largest and most violent drug conspiracies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Laroche characterized the crimes as “state- He called Hernandez the …

Brother of Honduran president gets life in US jail in drug case
3 years, 8 months ago

Brother of Honduran president gets life in US jail in drug case

Al Jazeera  

During Tony Hernandez’s trial, US prosecutors said the Honduran president was a co-conspirator in his brother’s crimes. The brother of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez has been sentenced to life in prison in the United States after he was convicted at a trial that a prosecutor said exposed him as a central figure in one of the world’s largest and …

US asks for life in prison for brother of Honduran president
3 years, 9 months ago

US asks for life in prison for brother of Honduran president

Al Jazeera  

The US government wants Tony Hernandez to return $138.5m in ‘blood money’ and pay an additional $10m fine. A brother of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez should be sentenced to life in prison for running a “state- Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, a former Honduran congressman, was convicted in October 2019 of participating in a conspiracy to traffic in cocaine to …

Honduran president denies drug trafficking accusations
3 years, 9 months ago

Honduran president denies drug trafficking accusations

Al Jazeera  

Juan Orlando Hernandez denies US claims that he was paid a $25,000 bribe by alleged drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes. New York prosecutor Jacob Gutwillig said, during the trial of alleged Honduran drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes in federal court on Tuesday, that Fuentes had paid Hernandez a $25,000 bribe. Brother convicted The president’s brother, Tony Hernandez, was convicted of large-scale drug …

Trial implicating Honduran president in drug trafficking begins
3 years, 9 months ago

Trial implicating Honduran president in drug trafficking begins

Al Jazeera  

US prosecutors say Juan Orlando Hernandez accepted bribes from drug cartels, the president has denied the allegations. References to Hernandez appear frequently in the filings against Fuentes Ramirez, as well as in a drug-trafficking case against Hernandez’s brother Tony, who was convicted of drug trafficking and related weapons charges in October 2019. In Fuentes Ramirez’s case documents, federal prosecutors accused …

Honduran president says US drug probe threatens cooperation
3 years, 10 months ago

Honduran president says US drug probe threatens cooperation

Al Jazeera  

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez warned that allegations by United States prosecutors of his involvement with organised crime could affect cooperation with Washington in fighting drug trafficking. US prosecutors, in a federal court filing in New York on February 5, said Hernandez used Honduran law enforcement and military officials to protect drug traffickers as part of a plan “to use …

Honduran president target of US investigation, court filings show
3 years, 10 months ago

Honduran president target of US investigation, court filings show

Al Jazeera  

Reuters news agency says court filing does not say what the Honduran president, a key US ally, is being investigated for. United States prosecutors are investigating Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, according to a new court filing seen by the Reuters news agency, piling pressure on a leader who prosecutors have already accused in court of participation in the nation’s …

The president of Honduras was supposed to be a drug war ally. U.S. prosecutors say he helped move cocaine
3 years, 11 months ago

The president of Honduras was supposed to be a drug war ally. U.S. prosecutors say he helped move cocaine

LA Times  

Honduras’ President Juan Orlando Hernández arrives Jan. 14, 2020, for the swearing-in ceremony for Guatemala’s new President Alejandro Giammattei at the National Theater in Guatemala City. They quote Hernández as saying he wanted to make the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration think that Honduras was fighting drug trafficking, but instead he was going to “shove the drugs right up the noses …

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