Michael R. "Harry-O" Harris
Role: Running a national drug trade
Charges: Drug trafficking, kidnapping, and attempted murder
Pardon date: 1/20/21 (clemency) and 5/28/25 (pardon)
Michael R. "Harry-O" Harris is best known as one of the co-founders behind the iconic Death Row Records. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 1987 for his involvement in a national drug operation after being convicted of selling crack cocaine as part of the drug trade, the attempted murder of James Lester, and kidnapping.
As reported by The Mercury News, Harris was granted clemency by Trump on the last day of the president's first term in 2021. Earlier this year, Harris was given a full and unconditional pardon.
Ross William Ulbricht
Role: Creator of the darknet marketplace Silk Road
Charges: Distributing narcotics by means of the internet, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, money laundering, and trafficking false identity documents
Pardon date: 1/21/25
Ross William Ulbricht was behind the infamous online black market Silk Road, the first modern darknet market that allowed users to buy or sell anonymously online via the Tor network. Due to the nature of the marketplace, which supported bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, many of the products listed on Silk Road were illegal and most prominently included drugs.
Ulbricht, who operated under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," was arrested in 2013 and convicted of running a criminal enterprise, money laundering, and trafficking fraudulent identity documents, among other charges.
He was sentenced to double life imprisonment without the possibility of parole but was released from prison earlier this year when he received a pardon from Trump.
Larry Hoover
Role: Founder of the Gangster Disciples street gang
Charges: Conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and engaging in a criminal enterprise while incarcerated
Pardon date: 5/28/25
Larry Hoover, the alleged founder of the Chicago street gang the Gangster Disciples, had his federal prison sentence commuted earlier this year. Hoover received a lot of advocacy from the artist formerly known as Kanye West, and a concert was held alongside Drake in late 2021 in an effort to get him released from prison.
The 75-year-old former gangster was sentenced to 150-200 years in prison in Illinois in 1973 and was later hit with federal charges in 1997 for continuing to engage in criminal activity while behind bars.
While Trump has commuted his federal prison sentence, his 1973 state-level conviction remains. He is still incarcerated, but he could seek parole due to his age.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez
Role: Using drug trade proceeds and accepting bribes to help get him elected
Charges: Three counts of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy
Pardon date: 12/01/26
One major example of Trump using his presidential pardon powers is in the case of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was released from a federal prison on Monday (Dec. 1).
Hernandez was convicted of conspiring to traffic cocaine to the United States in March 2024, with the Justice Department accusing him of shipping over 400 tons over the course of a decade.
At the time, prosecutors described his drug trafficking operation as one of the "largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.” Before his arrest, Hernandez served two presidential terms. He was arrested in 2022 and extradited to the United States.
Trump has publicly defended his decision to pardon Hernandez.
“He was the president of the country, and they basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country,” Trump said. “And they said it was a Biden administration setup, and I looked at the facts, and I agreed with them.”
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