Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández returned to Honduras this Sunday, almost eight months after receiving a presidential pardon from US President Donald Trump. His arrival marks the end of a long period of imprisonment in the United States, where he was prosecuted and convicted in a drug trafficking case.
In 2024, the former head of state had been sentenced to 45 years in prison by the US courts for his involvement in a vast drug trafficking network. Prosecutors accused him of using his political power to facilitate the movement of tons of cocaine to the United States in exchange for millions of dollars paid by criminal organizations.
His grace, granted almost eight months ago by Donald Trump, had aroused strong reactions both in Honduras and internationally. Juan Orlando Hernández's return to his country is now relaunching the debate on the political and judicial consequences of this decision, while his name remains associated with one of the most important drug trafficking scandals involving a former Central American leader.
