BY: CHIOMA MADONNA NDUKWU
On June 26, 2024, a New York court sentenced Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former President of Honduras, to 45 years in prison for facilitating the trafficking of hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.
Alongside the prison term, Hernandez was fined $8 million. Despite maintaining his innocence and planning to appeal, Hernandez’s conviction marks him as a significant figure in the global narcotics trade.
Prosecutors argued that he turned Honduras into a “narco-state” during his presidency from 2014 to 2022, using his power and connections to enrich himself and influence political outcomes. Judge P. Kevin Castel emphasized that Hernandez’s sentence should serve as a warning to powerful individuals who believe they are above the law.
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