Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
President of Honduras implicated in $1.5 million drug money conspiracy by New York prosecutor
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was identified Friday as a co-conspirator in a drug trafficking and money laundering case against his brother, according to document filed in U.S. district court in New York. Prosecutors allege $1.5 million in drug proceeds was used to help elect him in 2013.
JEFF ERNSTy
DAVID C ADAMS
3 AGO 2019 – 10:39 AM EDT
Juan Orlando Hernández, president of Honduras during an interview with Univision News at his home in the capital, Tegucigalpa, Jan 19, 2018. Crédito: Univision News
A document released on Friday by a U.S. district court implicates Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in a conspiracy with his brother, Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, and other high-level officials – including former President Pepe Lobo – “to leverage drug trafficking to maintain and enhance their political power."
The 44-page document – which is related to the upcoming trial of Tony Hernandez in New York's Southern District on drug trafficking and other charges – summarizes some of the key evidence collected by prosecutors against the defendant, who they accuse of being a “violent, multi-ton drug trafficker” who allegedly abused his political connections for personal and political gain and at least twice “helped arrange murders of drug trafficking rivals.”
The revelations are the latest in a string of bombshells that paint an increasingly shocking picture of Honduras as a narco-state, further complicating relations with the U.S. government, which has called President Hernandez an ally in the war on drugs. It also appears to provide evidence of the Honduran government’s own complicity in the rise of violence that made Honduras one of the world’s most dangerous countries and forced countless migrants to flee north.
The Honduran presidency issued a statement on Saturday saying that "President Hernández categorically denies the perverse and false accusations" contained in the Friday's court filing.
More:
https://www.univision.com/univision-news/latin-america/president-of-honduras-implicated-in-1-5-million-drug-money-conspiracy-by-new-york-prosecutor
