From Wikipedia:
Hernández was identified as a co-conspirator in a drug trafficking and money laundering case against his brother, according to document filed in U.S. district court. Prosecutors alleged $1.5 million in drug proceeds were used to help elect him in 2013.
A document released by a U.S. district court implicated Hernández in a conspiracy with his brother, Tony Hernández, and other high-level officials — including his presidential predecessor Porfirio Lobo Sosa — "to leverage drug trafficking to maintain and enhance their political power." Tony Hernández was sentenced to life in prison in January 2021 following his conviction on numerous drug trafficking charges.
On 7 February 2022, it was announced that Juan Orlando Hernández's U.S. visa was revoked by the Department of State at the start of July 2021, due to involvement in corruption and narcotics. On 14 February, he was surrounded by the National Police and DEA agents at his residence to process his capture and eventually take him to custody of the United States for possible trial. The U.S. government also requested his extradition for involvement with narcotics. After an extradition warrant was issued, Hernández decided to surrender to US authorities on 15 February 2022. The same day, local authorities arrested Hernández at his home in Tegucigalpa.
On 21 April Hernández was extradited to the United States. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York unsealed their indictment, charging him with conspiracy to import cocaine to the United States (21 U.S.C. § 963), as well as firearms charges (under 18 U.S.C. § 924).
The United States specifically charged Hernández with accepting millions of dollars in bribes from narcotraffickers since 2004, and in particular the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. The indictment stated that Tony Hernández collected the bribes using men armed with machine guns; in exchange, Juan Orlando Hernández conspired to protect smugglers from investigation and arrest, specifically providing "access to law enforcement and military information, including data from flight radar in Honduras".
Hernández's trial began on 21 February 2024 in New York City and concluded with a guilty verdict on 8 March. On 26 June, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
In November 2025, days before the Honduran general election, President Donald Trump announced that he would grant Hernández a federal pardon and endorsed Nasry Asfura, the candidate from his party. On 1 December 2025, Hernández was released from the United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, located in Hazelton, West Virginia, after receiving a pardon from Trump for his drug conviction. Trump claimed that the investigation into Hernández was a "Biden administration set up”, and that "They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country". Hernández's release came as Honduras was locked in a "technical tie" for the election of a new president. On the afternoon of 1 December, there were just 515 votes separating Asfura from his nearest challenger, Salvador Nasralla, a former TV host standing as a centrist candidate. However, on 2 December 2025, Nasralla, who also previously challenged Hernández in the 2017 Honduras presidential election, took the lead over Asfura, with Trump alleging election fraud.
On 8 December, the Honduran government issued an international arrest warrant for Hernández.
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