Honduras will extradite between April 20 and 22 the former president John Orlando Hernandez (2014-2022) to USAwhere he will be tried accused of drug trafficking, Security Minister Ramón Sabillón estimated on Wednesday.
“Already in the first days of this other week we will be meeting to make the necessary coordination” of the delivery, “between Wednesday and Friday”, of the former president to the United States, the official told the local Radio America station.
The announcement occurs one day after the 15 magistrates that make up the Plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) signed the ruling that ratified the decision to extradite Hernández, adopted by a first instance judge on March 16.
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With these documents in order, the judge “has ordered the immediate surrender of citizen Juan Orlando Hernández [a Estados Unidos]this with the help of the Secretary of Security, Secretary of Defense and also the Foreign Ministry,” said the CSJ spokeswoman, Lucía Villars.
The judge notified the Executive Branch to proceed with the extradition, required by the Court of the Southern District of New York.
According to Minister Sabillón, during these days coordination will take place between the institutions of Honduras and the United States drug enforcement agency (DEA)who will arrive with the plane to take Hernández away.
On February 14, the United States asked Honduras for the extradition of Hernández, accused of “violent drug trafficking conspiracy (…) the conspiracy transported approximately 500,000 kilograms of cocaine through Honduras to the United States,” even before was president, between 2014 and 2022.
Since that date, he has awaited the decision in the prison of a police station known as “Los Cobras”, in the east of Tegucigalpa.
Hernández’s defense team unsuccessfully appealed the extradition court decision to the Supreme Court and then tried to prevent it with an amparo appeal, also rejected.
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Another official awaiting extradition is the former head of the National Police, Juan Carlos the “Tiger” Bonilla, captured on March 9 accused by the United States of “supervising” the drug trafficking operations of former President Hernández.
The CSJ is following the same process as the former president with the former police chief.
“Tony” Hernández, a former deputy and brother of the former president, is serving a life sentence in the United States, also for drug trafficking.
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