• Trump announced full pardon for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández serving 45-year drug sentence
• Hernández was convicted in 2024 of conspiring to import 400 tons of cocaine into United States
• Announcement comes two days before Honduras presidential election where Trump endorsed conservative candidate Tito Asfura

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (TDR) — President Donald Trump announced Friday he will grant a “full and complete pardon” to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, currently serving a 45-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking and weapons charges. The Honduras presidential pardon announcement comes two days before Honduras holds its presidential election Sunday, where Trump has strongly endorsed conservative National Party candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

The case has drawn attention from across the political spectrum, with supporters arguing Hernández faced unfair prosecution while critics point to substantial evidence of his involvement in a major cocaine trafficking conspiracy that prosecutors described as operating Honduras as a “narco-state.”

The Conviction and Case Against Hernández

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Hernández, who served as Honduras president from 2014 to 2022, was convicted in March 2024 after a three-week jury trial in New York federal court. U.S. prosecutors alleged he facilitated the importation of approximately 400 tons of cocaine into the United States during his time in public office, receiving millions in bribes from major drug trafficking organizations.

Then-U.S. Attorney Damian Williams characterized the scope as involving billions of individual doses sent to the United States with protection and support from Honduras’s presidential office. The prosecution presented evidence that Hernández’s co-conspirators used weapons including AK-47s, AR-15s, and grenade launchers to protect cocaine shipments transiting through Honduras.

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Hernández “abused his power to support one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world”, with both the people of Honduras and the United States bearing consequences. The case included testimony from numerous witnesses, including convicted drug traffickers who claimed direct dealings with Hernández.

Several of Hernández’s associates faced similar fates. His brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández Alvarado, received a life sentence in prison after conviction in October 2019. Other convicted co-conspirators included Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez, a violent cocaine trafficker who met with Hernández on multiple occasions, and Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, former chief of the Honduran National Police.

Arguments Supporting the Honduras Presidential Pardon

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Trump’s announcement cited counsel from people he “greatly respect[ed]” who believed Hernández was “treated very harshly and unfairly”. Attorney Renato Stabile expressed gratitude for the pardon decision, stating “we believe he was the victim of lawfare and a political prosecution” and calling it “a great injustice” that has been righted.

Shortly after the announcement, Hernández’s wife and children gathered on their home steps in Tegucigalpa and knelt in prayer, thanking God for his anticipated return to their family. The family maintained throughout the legal proceedings that Hernández’s prosecution represented a coordinated effort by drug traffickers and political opponents seeking revenge.

Hernández consistently denied all drug-related accusations and claimed at his sentencing that the conviction amounted to a “lynching.” His defense argued that witnesses testifying against him were drug dealers seeking reduced sentences or harboring personal vendettas.

The Honduras presidential pardon ties directly to Trump’s endorsement of Asfura, with the president suggesting the move will support Honduras’s path toward “Great Political and Financial Success.” Supporters of the decision argue it could strengthen diplomatic relations between the United States and a future Asfura administration.

Argentine President Javier Milei also voiced support for Asfura’s candidacy Friday, calling him “the candidate who best represents the opposition to the leftist tyrants who have destroyed Honduras.”

Criticism and Concerns About the Pardon Decision

The Honduras presidential pardon announcement sparked immediate backlash from Democratic lawmakers and policy analysts who noted an apparent contradiction with Trump’s stated drug war priorities. Representative Joaquin Castro stated that Hernández “is responsible for the deaths of countless American citizens”, questioning the decision’s consistency with Trump’s Caribbean drug interdiction operations.

California Representative Norma Torres noted she “spent years fighting corruption in Latin America” and characterized Hernández as running “a cartel-backed criminal empire that trafficked over 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.” Senator Tim Kaine questioned how the pardon aligned with Trump’s professed efforts to combat narco-trafficking.

The timing raises additional concerns about U.S. intervention in foreign elections. The Honduras presidential pardon comes as Honduras prepares for Sunday’s vote, with Trump explicitly tying U.S. support to an Asfura victory. The president warned that if Asfura loses, “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad.”

Critics note that Hernández allegedly worked with the Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel to smuggle cocaine en route to the United States — one of the criminal groups Trump’s administration designated as “foreign terrorist organizations.” This creates tension with the administration’s simultaneous military campaign against alleged drug trafficking in the Caribbean, which has resulted in more than 80 reported deaths.

Human rights organizations and watchdog groups have expressed concern that the Honduras presidential pardon could signal to foreign leaders that past criminal conduct may be overlooked if they align with U.S. political interests. The Honduras presidential pardon has generated substantial backlash on social media, with legal experts and former Obama administration officials questioning the decision’s consistency with Trump’s stated anti-drug priorities. The pardon represents one of the most significant U.S. prosecutions of a Latin American leader since former Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega’s 1992 conviction.

Electoral Context and Regional Implications

The Honduras presidential pardon announcement occurs amid a highly competitive three-way race for Honduras’s presidency. Polls show Asfura virtually tied with two other candidates: Rixi Moncada of the ruling LIBRE party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.

Trump characterized the election as a test of democracy, suggesting in separate posts that an Asfura loss could lead Honduras “the way of Venezuela” under Nicolás Maduro’s influence. The race has been marked by preemptive allegations of voting fraud from multiple sides and concerns about military involvement in the electoral process.

Current Honduran President Xiomara Castro, the country’s first female president, has maintained what observers describe as a pragmatic relationship with the Trump administration despite her leftist political stance. Honduras has cooperated on security and migration issues, receiving deported citizens from the United States and serving as a bridge for deported Venezuelans.

The Honduras presidential pardon follows a pattern of Trump administration involvement in Latin American elections. In October, Trump offered Argentina a substantial bailout package contingent on President Javier Milei’s party performing well in legislative elections.

Political analysts note the announcement’s domestic implications as well. The Honduras presidential pardon marks a departure from traditional bipartisan approaches to foreign drug policy and raises questions about executive clemency standards when balanced against diplomatic objectives.

Election Day Approaches

As Honduras prepares for Sunday’s vote, the Honduras presidential pardon has become a central campaign issue. Asfura, a 67-year-old construction businessman and former Tegucigalpa mayor, has distanced himself from Hernández despite their shared National Party affiliation, telling reporters “I have no ties” and emphasizing that “the party is not responsible for his personal actions.”

The three leading candidates represent vastly different visions for Honduras’s future. Moncada has run as a continuity candidate pledging to maintain LIBRE party policies that supporters credit with reducing poverty rates. Nasralla, a former television personality making his fourth presidential bid, seeks to position himself as an independent alternative. None holds a definitive lead in polling.

“I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly.”

The Honduras presidential pardon will test whether Trump’s direct intervention influences Honduran voters or generates a backlash against perceived foreign interference. The winner will govern the Central American nation of approximately 10 million people from 2026 to 2030, inheriting challenges including poverty, violence, corruption, and complex relationships with both the United States and regional powers.

Will Trump’s pardon of a convicted drug trafficker undermine his administration’s stated commitment to fighting narco-terrorism in Latin America?

Hernández currently serves his sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton in West Virginia, with his family hoping for his return to Honduras “in the coming days” following the formal pardon process.

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