Brother of Honduras President Sentenced to Life in Drug-Trafficking Case

The brother of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced to lifestyle in prison Tuesday after he was convicted on drug-trafficking fees in a demo that underscored allegations the president has helped switch Honduras into a violent narco-point out.

Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel, who said there ended up no mitigating situations to lighten the sentence of the previous Honduran legislator. The decide said that Mr. Hernández had acted as a facilitator, furnishing bribes to politicians in the impoverished Central American country, which includes President Hernández.

Evidence at the demo in Manhattan federal courtroom showed that Juan Antonio Hernández had smuggled some 185 tons of cocaine to the U.S. in the course of a profession spanning at the very least 11 many years. He was convicted in Oct 2019.

“Here, the trafficking was certainly point out-sponsored,” said Judge Castel, reading a assertion as he imposed the sentence. He pointed out that Juan Antonio Hernández had overtly stamped his initials “T.H.” for Tony Hernández on the cocaine he imported to the U.S. The decide also purchased him to forfeit $138.five million.

Analysts say that the lifestyle sentence for the president’s brother is one more reminder that Honduras, a person of the poorest international locations in the hemisphere, poses a main challenge for President Biden as he tries to halt a surge of migrants from the region. Biden officers have said that fighting corruption in Central The usa is critical to their endeavours to reduce migration flows.

The brother of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced to lifestyle in prison Tuesday after he was convicted on drug-trafficking fees in a demo that underscored allegations the president has helped switch Honduras into a violent narco-point out.

Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel, who said there ended up no mitigating situations to lighten the sentence of the previous Honduran legislator. The decide said that Mr. Hernández had acted as a facilitator, furnishing bribes to politicians in the impoverished Central American country, which includes President Hernández.

Evidence at the demo in Manhattan federal courtroom showed that Juan Antonio Hernández had smuggled some 185 tons of cocaine to the U.S. in the course of a profession spanning at the very least 11 many years. He was convicted in Oct 2019.

“Here, the trafficking was certainly point out-sponsored,” said Judge Castel, reading a assertion as he imposed the sentence. He pointed out that Juan Antonio Hernández had overtly stamped his initials “T.H.” for Tony Hernández on the cocaine he imported to the U.S. The decide also purchased him to forfeit $138.five million.

Analysts say that the lifestyle sentence for the president’s brother is one more reminder that Honduras, a person of the poorest international locations in the hemisphere, poses a main challenge for President Biden as he tries to halt a surge of migrants from the region. Biden officers have said that fighting corruption in Central The usa is critical to their endeavours to reduce migration flows.