Honduran police today arrested former president Juan Orlando Hernandez at his home following a US government request for his extradition on drug and arms trafficking charges.
Hernandez's arrest comes less than three weeks after he left office after years of accusations from US prosecutors about his alleged ties to drug trafficking.
A Honduran judge issued today an arrest warrant for Hernandez (2014-2022), whose extradition is sought by the US on charges of drug trafficking, a spokesperson for the Honduran Supreme Court announced.
A judge is tasked with deciding whether to issue an arrest warrant, and a warrant has been issued, a spokesman said at a news conference. About 600 police officers have surrounded Hernandez's home since last night when the US submitted an extradition request to Honduran judicial authorities.
After years of speculation, the US officially requested the arrest and extradition of Hernandez less than three weeks after he left office.
Hernandez left his home surrounded by police, handcuffed and wearing body armor. He got into a police vehicle and was driven away. A police helicopter waiting nearby took off and appeared to be following the convoy.
Honduran Security Minister Ramon Sabijon, who Hernandez ousted as head of the National Police in 2014, said Hernandez colluded with "cartels to trade (drugs) and corrupt many public institutions, which led to the deterioration of the social situation and undermined the administration of justice in Honduras ".
He said the main charges against Hernandez in the US are drug trafficking, use of a weapon in drug trafficking and conspiracy to use a weapon in drug trafficking.
U.S. prosecutors in New York have repeatedly accused Hernandez of being an accomplice during his brother's 2019 drug-trafficking trial, alleging that his political rise was fueled by drug profits.
His brother, Juan Antonio Hernandez, aka Tony, was sentenced to life in prison on drug and gun-trafficking charges in March 2021. The prosecutor said his crimes were "state-sponsored drug trafficking."
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