Former Honduras president to be extradited to U.S.

The Honduran Supreme Court on Monday authorized the extradition of dormer President Juan Orlando Hernandez to the U.S. after being charged with drug trafficking.  

A Honduran judge had approved the extradition request on March 16, but Hernandez challenged the ruling. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal. 

Prosecutors of the Southern District of New York accused Hernandez of conspiracy to import illegal substances, including manufacturing and importing cocaine. Hernandez was also charged with two counts of using or carrying weapons. 

The accusation ties Hernandez to the Sinaloa Cartel, who was run by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. El Chapo allegedly paid Hernandez $1 million for his 2013 presidential campaign in exchange for smuggling cocaine. 

U.S. authorities claim that Hernandez smuggled more than 550 tons of cocaine from Venezuela and Colombia into the U.S. via Honduras over the last 18 years. 

Hernandez was president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022. He was once an ally of the U.S. in the drug war. However, he lost immunity when Xiomara Castro assumed the presidency in January of this year. 

The former president has denied all of the charges against him. The date of the extradition has not yet been announced.