WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, April 22 (Reuters) – Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, accused of involvement in a cocaine import conspiracy and firearms offences, was extradited to the United States on Thursday , said the US Department of Justice.
Manhattan federal prosecutors say Juan Orlando Hernandez took millions of dollars in bribes from drug traffickers, including former cartel boss Joaquin Guzman, known as ‘El Chapo’ Mexican from Sinaloa. The former Honduran president would have used this money to enrich himself and finance his campaigns.
Juan Orlando Hernandez was a key ally of the United States during the Obama and Trump administrations, particularly in operations concerning immigration and the fight against narcotics.
US prosecutors, however, revealed last year that 53-year-old Juan Orlando Hernandez was being investigated as part of a sprawling investigation into drug trafficking in Honduras. (Report Kanishka Singh Washington, Luc Cohen New York and Gustavo Palencia Tegucigalpa, with the contribution of Tomas Bravo; French version Camille Raynaud)