Former Honduran President, US Ally, On Trial For Trafficking 500 Tons Of Cocaine, Weapons & Aiding Cartel Boss 'El Chapo'

Once celebrated as a key partner in the U.S. war on drugs, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández now stands accused of facilitating the movement of over 500 tons of cocaine through his country en route to America. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump hailed Hernández as a “key partner” who was “working with the United States very closely.”

The trial, expected to last several weeks, is revealing a dramatic fall from grace. Prosecutors painted a picture on Wednesday of the deep-seated corruption allegedly plaguing Honduran politics as they accuse the 55-year-old Hernández of helping drug lords and cartels.

Double Life, Notorious Drug Lords

In a rare U.S. case against a former head of state, federal prosecutors said Hernández lived a double life.

Notorious drug lords, including imprisoned Mexican cartel boss “El Chapo” Guzmán, are said to have lined his pockets with millions in bribes to ensure safe passage for their cocaine and other drug shipments.

“For years he worked hand in hand with some of the largest and most violent drug traffickers in Honduras to send ton after ton of cocaine here to the United States,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Robles told a jury, reported local radio WNYC.

Witnesses, including former drug traffickers turned collaborators, said Hernández received bribes to fund his political rise, enrich himself and manipulate elections. Hernández allegedly even boasted of “stuffing drugs right up the noses of the gringos.” The prosecution presented a machine gun emblazoned with his name and presidential title on it.

The defense portrayed Hernández as a victim of vengeful criminals and fabrications spun by unreliable witnesses seeking leniency. They emphasized his cooperation with the U.S., citing extraditions of cartel members and efforts to dismantle drug networks.

Uncomfortable Truths

While Hernández vehemently denied the charges against him, the trial also threatens to expose uncomfortable truths for Washington policymakers. For years, the U.S. overlooked potential red flags while securing Hernández’s cooperation on migration control.

“Juan Orlando Hernández was the poster child for this complete contradiction in U.S. foreign policy interests. The U.S. was left supporting a criminal,” said Michael Shifter, the former president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank.

At the 2019 Trump meeting, noted the Wall Street Journal, the former president told Hernández, “You know what's going on our southern border. And we're winning after years and years of losing. We are stopping drugs at a level that has never happened.”

Juan Orlando Hernández being arrested in Honduras by Shutterstock