The Kingpin
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Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández appeared virtually before a US court over the weekend, following his extradition to the United States where he faces multiple charges related to drug trafficking, CNN reported.
Hernández was extradited to the US on Friday, a month after Honduras’ top court authorized the transfer following a request by US authorities. The former president – who stepped down in January after eight years in office – has been indicted on various charges, including “cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices.”
The indictment in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said the former politician partnered with some of the most violent drug trafficking groups and enriched himself through a network that funneled cocaine from Honduras to the US.
US authorities have accused Hernández of shielding and aiding these organizations, while also using the drug money to finance his campaigns “to impact Honduran presidential elections in 2009, 2013, and 2017.”
Hernández has denied the allegations, saying the accusations come from drug traffickers, whom he extradited to the US during his presidency, Fox News noted.
Last year, the same US court sentenced his brother and former lawmaker, Juan Antonio Hernández Alvarado, to life in prison on drug trafficking charges.
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