Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, was released from a US prison shortly after receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. His wife confirmed his release on Tuesday.
Hernandez had been serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking and firearms offenses in a high-security federal prison located in Hazelton, West Virginia.
Ana Garcia, Hernandez’s wife, expressed her gratitude to President Trump for the pardon that facilitated his release.
“After nearly four years of pain, waiting, and difficult trials, my husband Juan Orlando Hernandez has RETURNED to being a free man, thanks to the presidential pardon granted by President Donald Trump,” Garcia stated.
The former Honduran president was convicted of accepting bribes from drug traffickers, which enabled the transport of approximately 400 tons of cocaine to the United States via Honduras.
This occurred while Hernandez positioned himself as an ally to US authorities in the battle against drug trafficking.
Trump’s decision to pardon Hernandez has faced criticism, particularly as his administration has pledged to intensify efforts against drug trafficking in the region, while simultaneously threatening Venezuela and accusing President Nicolás Maduro of operating a narcotrafficking cartel.
“Trump is illegally blowing up boats in the Caribbean — supposedly to stop drugs from entering the US. Yet he pardons the former president of Honduras who was convicted of sending cocaine to the US,” Democratic Senator Ed Markey remarked on X.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Monday that Hernandez was a victim of prosecutorial overreach during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
“He was opposed to the values of the previous administration, and they charged him because he was president of Honduras,” Leavitt asserted.
Hernandez was arrested in February 2022, while Joe Biden was president, just weeks after he transferred power to the current President, Xiomara Castro. His arrest was requested by US federal authorities.
Trump echoed Leavitt’s sentiments regarding the pardon while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One.
“The people of Honduras really thought he was set up, and it was a terrible thing,” Trump remarked.
“They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country. And they said it was a Biden administration set-up. I looked at the facts and I agreed with them,” the former president added, without providing further details.
The timing of Hernandez’s pardon coincides with the ongoing counting of votes in the Honduran presidential election.
The Trump administration has endorsed candidate Nasry Asfura against Salvador Nasralla. Both conservative candidates are currently in a tight race, with Asfura leading by only a few hundred votes.
Hernandez is affiliated with Asfura’s National Party.
