What is Honduras ex-president accused of and why has Trump pardoned him?

December 2, 2025

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year sentence for orchestrating a massive drug trafficking operation that smuggled over 400 tonnes of cocaine into the United States, received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Prosecutors had proven that Hernández spent over 18 years running a criminal enterprise involving police and state institutions, accepting bribes from drug lords including El Chapo, and enabling violent crimes to protect trafficking routes. Trump justified the pardon by claiming Hernández faced political persecution under the Biden administration, while simultaneously endorsing a candidate from Hernández's party in Honduras's current presidential election.

Who is affected

Juan Orlando Hernández (freed from 45-year prison sentence)
The people of Honduras (10 million citizens impacted by state corruption)
The people of the United States (affected by 400+ tonnes of cocaine/4.5 billion doses)
Tony Hernández (brother, remains in prison serving life sentence)
Tito Asfura (National Party presidential candidate endorsed by Trump)
Victims of violent crimes and murders committed by drug traffickers
More than 80 people killed in Trump administration's strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats since September

What action is being taken

A hand recount of ballots is being conducted in Honduras's presidential election (preliminary results as of Tuesday show the race is too close to call)
The Trump administration is carrying out strikes on boats in waters around Venezuela suspected of being piloted by drug traffickers (ongoing since early September)

Why it matters

This pardon matters because it creates a fundamental contradiction in US drug policy—Trump freed a convicted drug trafficker responsible for flooding America with cocaine while simultaneously claiming to crack down on narcotics entering the country. The decision undermines the credibility of the US justice system's ability to prosecute high-level drug trafficking cases and signals that political considerations may override criminal convictions. It demonstrates Trump's willingness to intervene in Latin American politics to support ideologically aligned right-wing parties, potentially encouraging corruption by showing that political connections can supersede accountability for serious crimes that directly harmed American citizens.

What's next

The article states that a hand recount is underway in Honduras's presidential election following the too-close-to-call preliminary results as of Tuesday. No other explicit next steps are stated in the article.

Read full article from source: BBC