Former Honduras president extradited to US over drug trafficking

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the United States on Thursday, where he will face charges of drug trafficking. Earlier this year, the conservative politician stepped down as president. A US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plane carrying Hernández left Honduras Thursday afternoon.

Hernández is suspected of having been involved in drug smuggling between 2004 and 2022. US prosecutors accuse him of financing his political career with drug money. He is also said to have taken millions of dollars in bribes to protect drug traffickers from police investigation and prosecution.

Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, the brother of the former president, was already found guilty in 2019 in the US of large-scale drug smuggling. He’s incarcerated for life.