Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández appeared this Wednesday in the National Congress together with the Cabinet of Defense and Security to present a report on progress in the fight against drug trafficking, mutation of gangs and gangs, among other points related to his Government.
“There is a team of experts who have recommended us to migrate from the anti-extortion jurisdiction circuit to one that includes other crimes and illicit activities, this is a reality that we must fight head on, because if we do not do any thing today, the country can soon be taken, “the president began.
“As you know and as established by our Constitution, my term as President ends on January 27, 2022, this day, in 11 months, I will leave the presidency and I will take command of the next President who will be elected in November. I reiterate, until the day I leave office, on January 27, 2022, I will continue to fight criminals because that is the commitment to my country that I have made and because I know of no other way to live but to fight evil. ” , said Hernandez.
The governor stated that “narcos have found what they believe to be the magic key, An instrument so evil and powerful that God placed it in the 10 commandments, Exodus 20:16: ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor’, but for the murderers and drug dealers not even the word of the Lord prevents them seize the magic key, because with it they believe they can destroy all who fight against them. “
“It’s easy to forget how things were before when drug planes filled the Honduran sky like flying insects on a hot day. Less than 15 years ago the U.S. Embassy here in Honduras said the Government of at the time it was so closely linked to organized crime that close co-operation between law enforcement was impossible, “he added.
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“Drug cartels and gangs operated with impunity and if they ever went to prison it didn’t matter much because they controlled the prison. Less than 10 years ago Honduras had the highest homicide rate in the world and the extradition did not exist, it was not allowed by the Constitution, “he recalled.
He noted that also the National Police was corrupted and penetrated by organized crime, to such an extent that according to confessed drug traffickers, they partnered with senior police officials to assassinate a head of the anti-drug unit, one of those violent and bloodthirsty criminal groups “The Cachiros”.
He detailed that when he assumed the presidency of the National Congress, eight security laws were passed that “were hated and feared by narcos.” He pointed out that the Constitution was reformed to allow extradition for the first time.
“After I was elected President we were able to purge the National Police, not only was more than 40% of the Police dismissed and six of the nine senior officials were dismissed, we set up a civil society citizens commission , they were given the power and authority to determine who would be dismissed and who would remain, “he remarked.
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Honduras has extradited 24 people implicated and requested by the United States, 15 surrendered directly to negotiate with the DEA and five have been captured.
“Today ‘Els Cachiros’ and other drug traffickers, confessed murderers are negotiating, using the magic key, they tell lies by claiming that narcos could make deals with me, but they are part of their revenge. When ‘Els Cachiros’ went in Belize asking for a deal, what the United States told them was that they would only get a deal if they could offer a witness that would produce criminal charges and convictions of other people, ”he said.
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Hernandez said in his speech that “The Cachiros” wanted “revenge against the president, other officials and institutions that had destroyed their criminal empire and would not deal with them.” The Cachiros “came to the conclusion that they could use false witnesses to make arrangements in the United States. “
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“They have no evidence to support their lies, ‘The Cachiros’ have not yet been sentenced and in theory the US system does not grant benefits or reductions in sentences if the testimony is false, but so far they have not been sanctioned by lying, on the contrary, they have been motivated to do so in order to reduce their sentences, that their families live with impunity in the United States and that they have been left with a good part of their bloody earnings, ”he insisted.
The president also referred to cooperation with allied countries to reduce the passage of cocaine, which “was 87% to 4%, only in 2020 according to data from the Conjnta Comando Sud Task Force” .
During his appearance he lamented that “this fight has a high price: brave policemen, soldiers, prosecutors and judges gave their lives in this fight against crime. The narcos tried several times to kill me, they failed, now they want to see if what their assassins could not achieve can be achieved in another way, with the magic key, “he said.