Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández sentenced to 45 years in prison in New York

Former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández Sentenced to 45 Years

Conviction for Drug Trafficking and Weapons

$8 Million Fine

On Wednesday, June 26, former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022) was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Additionally, he was given five years of supervised release by a New York court for various crimes related to drug trafficking and the use of weapons.

This spared him from the life sentence the prosecution had requested, according to Efe.

Judge Kevin Castel also imposed an $8 million fine and ordered the lawyer to clarify within two weeks how it will be paid.

The Sentence of Juan Orlando Hernández: A Historic Event

Former President Juan Orlando Hernández – PHOTO: Screenshot from X

Among the Hondurans present at the entrance, there were about twenty waving their country’s flags.

There were no apparent celebrations, perhaps because they were expecting a harsher sentence for former President Juan Orlando Hernández.

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Additionally, the judge stated that he would decide within 120 days which prison the former Honduran president will serve his sentence in.

Juan Orlando, 55, is currently held in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Before pronouncing the sentence, Castel told Juan Orlando Hernández that he was «a man of two faces»:

With one, he proclaimed his commitment against drug trafficking, and with the other, he facilitated the importation of tons of cocaine into the USA.

He also declared that if Hernández serves the entire sentence, he will leave prison at 100 years old.

He sent a message «to the educated and well-dressed, so they do not believe they will escape accusations.»

Juan Orlando Hernández, who appeared very aged, with gray hair and beard, and leaning on a cane, listened to the sentence without much reaction.

The sentence is closer to what his defense requested (40 years) than the life sentence sought by the prosecution.

He only used his turn to speak after the sentence to ask if he could keep Renato Stabile as his lawyer.

The judge affirmed, at least until the appeal, if it occurs, according to Efe.

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PHOTO: MundoNOW