Honduran president says U.S. probe of his alleged drug ties might scuttle cooperation with Washington
2 min read Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez stated on Wednesday that allegations by U.S. prosecutors of his involvement with organized crime might have an effect on cooperation with Washington in combating drug trafficking.
U.S. prosecutors, in a federal courtroom submitting in New York on Feb. 5, stated Hernandez used Honduran legislation enforcement right here and navy officers to guard drug traffickers as a part of a plan “to use drug trafficking to help assert power and control in Honduras.”
U.S. prosecutors have stated Hernandez accepted a million-dollar bribe right here from Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was convicted in 2019 and is serving a life sentence in a U.S. jail.
Hernandez has denied the allegations and he has not been charged with a criminal offense.
Hernandez, whereas talking to the Honduran Congress on Wednesday, stated that members of the “Los Cahiros” cartel falsely accused him in an effort to hunt shorter jail sentences. He warned U.S. officers that believing these allegations might compromise joint safety efforts between Washington and Tegucigalpa.
“If certain offices in the United States make the mistake of rewarding drug traffickers who give false testimony, instead of increasing their penalties … then the battle that we have jointly waged with our allies against drug trafficking may become unsustainable because there will be loss of trust,” Hernandez stated.
He added that if Washington takes the accusations in opposition to him critically, “it will mean that sooner or later effective cooperation systems will inevitably collapse.”
Hernandez, who has been in energy since 2014, is an in depth U.S. ally in Central America. Yet, the accusations in opposition to him pose a problem for the Biden administration, which has promised to speculate $4 billion into Central America to handle the foundation causes of migration from the area.
Earlier this week, a gaggle of Democratic senators launched laws to impose sanctions on Hernandez for corruption and human rights abuses and to droop U.S. safety help for the Honduran police and navy.
