North America Former Honduran President Arrested on Suspicion of Drug Trafficking – Once a US ally in the war on drugs

Abroad|North America

Honduras former president Juan Orlando Hernández has been arrested on Tuesday in the country ‘s capital, Tegucigalpa. According to an unnamed source in the AFP news agency, the United States has demanded that Honduras extradite Hernández to the United States on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Read more: AFP: The United States is demanding that Honduras extradite the former president of the country suspected of drug trafficking

The Honduran Foreign Ministry said Twitterin his account at the request of the United States to arrest an unnamed “Honduran politician” for extradition. The Supreme Court of the country is also appointed by U.S. Extradition Judge.

The U.S. State Department has not yet commented on the matter.

Hernández posted on his Twitter account voice message, in which he says he is ready to cooperate and surrender to the authorities voluntarily. He said he was ready to “face the situation and defend himself”.

Hernández has previously denied all allegations against him. He has claimed they are part of retaliation by drug bosses imprisoned by his regime and handed over to the United States.

Hernández, who ended his second presidency in January, has been president of Honduras since 2014. He lost to the Left Party in the presidential election last November. Xiomara Castrollewho became the country’s first female president.

Hernández appeared during his presidency as an ally of the United States in the war on drugs, but drug smugglers caught in the United States have reported that his insiders have taken bribes from drug districts.

A drug offender sentenced to life imprisonment in New York last week Fuentes Ramirez brought tons of cocaine to the United States, according to prosecutors with the help of Hernández.

In a statement released last week by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the opinion Hernández was reportedly on the U.S. list of undemocratic and corrupt actors.

“According to several credible media sources, Hernández has been involved in significant corruption and drug trafficking, and the proceeds of illegal activities have been used for political campaigns,” Blinken said in a statement.

Brother of the former president Tony Hernández was found guilty of drug smuggling in New York in 2019. He was sentenced to life in prison last spring.