Former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted in the United States of drug trafficking, was released on Monday (1st), according to updated records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), after receiving a full pardon from American President Donald Trump.
Hernández was extradited to the United States in April 2022, where in March 2024 he was sentenced to 45 years in prison on three drug and weapons trafficking charges, plus five years of supervised release and an $8 million fine.
According to the BOP website, Hernández, 57, was released on December 1 from a high-security U.S. federal prison in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, operated by the federal office.
To date, no official details regarding the former president’s current whereabouts or next legal steps have been confirmed, beyond the status update in the BOP database.
Trump had announced that he planned to pardon Hernández, claiming that former President Joe Biden’s government “set a trap” for the former Honduran ruler.
The decision to release Hernández generated criticism from various sectors, who consider that the pardon weakens the fight against drug trafficking. On the other hand, defenders point out irregularities in the trial and denounce political persecution.
Hernández asked Trump for a pardon through a letter in which he recalled the collaboration between the two countries during the Republican’s first term, according to the portal Axioswho had access to the document.