The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Thursday announced that former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández would appear before a New York federal court after being extradited to the US to face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.

From about 2004 to 2022, Hernández allegedly participated in a corrupt and violent drug-trafficking conspiracy to facilitate the importation of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the US. He allegedly received millions of dollars to use his public office, law enforcement, and the military to support drug-trafficking organizations in Honduras, Mexico, and elsewhere.

On October 18, 2019, Hernández was convicted for his participation in this conspiracy. While his case was pending, Hernández supposedly continued to coordinate the large-scale trafficking operation. On February 15, 2022, Hernández was arrested and detained by Honduran authorities at the request of the United States. The US thereafter submitted a formal extradition request, which was granted.

Hernández is charged with three counts. This includes conspiring to import cocaine into the US, which would carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. He is also charged with conspiring to and actually using machine guns during and in furtherance of the cocaine importation conspiracy. All three charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.