Juan Orlando Hernndez Went From Honduran President To International Drug Smuggler

Juan Orlando Hernández was only 46 when he became president of Honduras back in 2014, and during his term, he helped the United States in dealing with issues such as migration and, ironically, drug trafficking (via The Washington Post). Hernandez extradited important figures in the drug trade like Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga and Geovanny Fuentes to the United States, according to Vice. During his administration, he was accused of turning the Honduran government into a narco-state that aided drug traffickers and exploiting his power to send weapons and drugs to countries like the United States (via The Washington Post).

In 2017, Hernández was reelected to the presidency, but some suspect that the election might’ve been rigged. During the election, when 60% of the votes had been counted, Hernández’s opponent, Salvador Nasralla, had been in the lead, but then the results stopped being shown. When election officials resumed the results, Hernández had a narrow lead over his opponent. This raised eyebrows in organizations like the Organization of American States, which called for a recount of the election. Protests erupted across Honduras, and at least 17 protesters were killed. The United States, however, recognized Hernández as the rightful winner and objected to a recount of the vote, according to The Guardian.

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