Accused Honduran Drug Lord Faces Jury

October 19, 2019 journalism Top Stories 0

By DANIELLE KOGEN

The jury began deliberating the charges against the brother of the president of Honduras on Thursday, accused  of sending nearly 200,000 kilos of cocaine into the United States.

The defendant, Juan Antonio Hernandez, could face life in prison if convicted of the charges against him, including drug trafficking, conspiracy, weapons violations and falsifying statements during a federal interview.

The two-week trial included sensational testimony, indicating that Hernandez served as a bag man to deliver a $1 million bribe to his brother, Juan Orlando Hernandez, from the convicted drug lord nicknamed El Chapo. the president has denied the accusation.

Before adjourning the jurors requested written transcripts of interviews with former mayor Amilcar Alexander Ardon, and two other Honduran drug lords in the poverty-stricken nation.

“This is not Netflix, this is not a movie,” said Asst. U.S. Attorney Emil Bove in a closing statement on Wednesday. “For almost 15 years the defendant ravaged his country to work with other men to send a title-wave of cocaine to the United States.”

Bove also branded the 41-year-old defendant as  an “arrogant,” man who had his initials stamped into each kilo of cocaine. The Honduran President has not been charged, and has extensively denied any wrongdoing on the part of his administration throughout the case.

Defense attorney Michael Tein told jurors on Wednesday that the prosecution had paraded before the panel witnesses who were “liars, losers and murderers.”
Members of the public sitting in the pews waited anxiously in the courtroom, eventually being removed for making too much noise and being redirected down the hall into a separate courtroom to watch a live stream of the room and stay updated.
The jury was expected to reach a verdict on Friday.
Photo of Juan Orlando Hernandez, president of Honduras

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