Juan Orlando Hernandez, who served as Honduras' president from 2014 to 2022, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in trafficking significant quantities of cocaine into the United States. US prosecutors have accused him of transforming Honduras into what they describe as a "narco-state."

In New York on Wednesday, Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $8 million (about €7.5 million). His conviction in March for aiding drug cartels in trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the US led to this sentence. Despite prosecutors seeking a life term, the 55-year-old's sentence is likely to see him spend the rest of his life behind bars due to his age.

During sentencing, Judge P. Kevin Castel emphasized that the verdict should serve as a warning to individuals in positions of power who believe their status can shield them from accountability. Hernandez, maintaining his innocence, declared through an interpreter that he had been wrongly accused and expressed intent to appeal the conviction.

Outside the court, protesters called for an end to the drug trade, displaying banners with images of victims from Honduras. US prosecutors had labeled Hernandez's tenure from 2014 to 2022 as transforming Honduras into a "narco-state." They detailed his alleged involvement in facilitating the trafficking of around 500 tons of cocaine, dating back to before his presidency in 2004. They also accused him of using illicit funds to finance political campaigns and commit electoral fraud.

Despite Hernandez portraying himself in court as a champion against drug trafficking, citing collaborations with former US presidents, Judge Castel dismissed this portrayal as a facade, describing Hernandez as a "two-faced politician hungry for power." The sentencing underscores a pattern where Latin American former heads of state, including Panama's Manuel Noriega and Guatemala's Alfonso Portillo, have faced similar convictions in US courts for narcotics-related charges.