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4d ago

Honduras Seeks Interpol Arrest of Hernández After Trump Pardon

The warrant enforces a 2023 Honduran Supreme Court order that activated upon his release by U.S. authorities.

Juan Orlando Hernández speaks during a press conference on March 24, 2021, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS - APRIL 21: Former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez is escorted by Members of the Police Special Forces to be extradited to U.S.to face charges of taking bribes from drug traffickers at Honduran National Directorate of Special Forces on April 21, 2022 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Hernandez will stand trial for allegedly aiding the smuggling of hundreds of tons of cocaine to America (Photo by Jorge Cabrera/Getty Images)
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Juan Orlando Hernández was released from a U.S. prison last week.

Overview

  • Attorney General Johel Antonio Zelaya Alvarez directed Honduran authorities and Interpol to execute an international warrant for Juan Orlando Hernández on fraud and money-laundering charges.
  • The move cites a late-2023 Supreme Court directive instructing that Hernández be detained if freed by U.S. authorities.
  • Hernández was convicted in New York of conspiring to import cocaine and related weapons offenses, received a 45-year sentence, and was pardoned on Dec. 1 before being released from a West Virginia federal prison.
  • His wife said he is in a “safe place” in the United States and will not immediately return to Honduras due to safety concerns.
  • The pardon has drawn criticism from U.S. lawmakers as President Trump defended it and offered differing explanations, while reporting has attributed lobbying for clemency to Roger Stone.