Washington DC January 3 2026
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has been released from a US federal prison after receiving a full pardon from former President Donald Trump in December 2025 Hernandez had been serving a 45 year sentence after a Manhattan federal jury convicted him in March 2024 on multiple charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses
US prosecutors accused Hernandez of using his presidential powers to turn Honduras into a narco state accepting millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels to protect cocaine shipments into the United States including a 1 million dollar bribe from Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Authorities said Hernandez was at the center of a conspiracy that moved more than 400 tons of cocaine into the US
Hernandez consistently denied the charges calling them a political lynching and a Biden administration setup Trump said he pardoned Hernandez because the people of Honduras really thought he was set up and he had been treated very harshly and unfairly
The decision has drawn strong bipartisan criticism with lawmakers saying it contradicts efforts to fight drug trafficking and undermines accountability for serious international crimes Critics warned the pardon could strain US Honduras relations and set a dangerous precedent for other foreign leaders facing criminal charges
Hernandez release marks a dramatic turn in a case that has captured international attention highlighting tensions between US foreign policy domestic politics and the fight against global drug trafficking
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