Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a massive drug trafficking operation, has been released following a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday.
According to The Associated Press, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website showed Hernández was released from U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton, in West Virginia, on Monday. A spokesperson for the bureau confirmed his release on Tuesday.
Hernández’s wife, Ana García, expressed her gratitude to Trump on the social platform X early Tuesday.
“After almost four years of pain, of waiting and difficult challenges, my husband Juan Orlando Hernández RETURNED to being a free man, thanks to the presidential pardon granted by President Donald Trump,” García wrote. She included a photo of the Bureau of Prisons release listing.
When asked on Sunday why he chose to pardon Hernández, Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One, “I was asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras. The people of Honduras really thought he was set up, and it was a terrible thing. They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country. And they said it was a Biden administration set-up. And I looked at the facts, and I agreed with them.”
Hernández’s attorney, Renato Stabile, said in an emailed statement that he could not disclose the former president’s current location but added that Hernández is relieved the “ordeal” is over.
“On behalf of President Hernández and his family, I would like to thank President Trump for correcting this injustice,” Stabile said.
Hernández was arrested in February 2022 at the request of the United States, weeks after the current President Xiomara Castro took office.
Two years later, a New York federal court sentenced him to 45 years in prison for accepting bribes from drug traffickers, allowing roughly 400 tons of cocaine to be moved through Honduras to the U.S.
Throughout his trial, Hernández insisted he was innocent and claimed he was targeted by traffickers he had helped extradite.
Federal Judge P. Kevin Castel said the sentence should warn “well-educated, well-dressed” individuals who misuse power and think their status shields them from justice.
While Hernández portrayed himself as a partner in the anti-drug fight, the judge noted that trial evidence showed he used “considerable acting skills” to appear opposed to trafficking while using police and military forces to protect it.
A quick return to Honduras is not guaranteed.
After Trump’s pardon, Honduras Attorney General Johel Zelaya said his office is required to pursue justice and end impunity. He did not specify what charges Hernández might face at home.
The pardon, announced just days before Honduras’ presidential election, added an unexpected twist to the contest, which some say helped National Party candidate Nasry Asfura as votes were counted Tuesday.
