Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Honduras on Tuesday released an official US report praising the government of Juan Orlando Hernandez in Honduras fight against drug trafficking, Although the ruler is being investigated for alleged links to this crime.
“This report is a support to the effort we have made as a government in terms of security,” Security Minister Julián Pacheco said in a press statement.
The State Department report says that “the United States continues to help develop the capacity of Honduran institutions to combat drug trafficking, corruption, and other criminal matters.”
It also highlights that “the Honduran authorities demonstrated improved capacity to carry out (drug trafficking) bans in 2020.”
“During the first nine months of 2020, Honduran authorities claimed to have confiscated approximately 2.8 tonnes of cocaine, exceeding the 2.2 tonnes confiscated during the 2019 calendar year,” the report adds.
The State Department further mentioned “the political will of the Honduran government to combat drug trafficking in coordination with U.S. law enforcement agencies continue.”
For his part, Defense Minister Fredy Diaz stressed that Honduras has ceased to be “the country of drug trafficking” from South America to the United States.
This report comes weeks after US prosecutors launched a search against President Hernandez – identified by code CC-4– and other senior country officials, after being linked to drug trafficking.
Trial against Geovany Fonts
Who accuses them is Geovany Daniel Fuentes, one of the Honduran chiefs prosecuted in the Southern District Court of New York.
The prosecutors’ letter states that in 2013, CC-4 “requested large campaign contributions (…) and described participating in widespread public corruption within Honduras, including embezzlement of state aid United “.
The president had already been mentioned for this crime in the trial in the United States against his younger brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, arrested in that country after being found guilty of “large-scale” drug trafficking.
On Monday, a demonstration of women dressed in black marched in Tegucigalpa, demanding the departure of the president, to consider that he is involved in acts of corruption. On their posters, they had written the phrase “out JOH,” initials of the ruler.
The president rejects the allegations against him, alleging that these are reprisals from confessed drug traffickers who were extradited to the United States by his government.
According to Hernandez, 25 bosses were extradited to that country, 15 were released and five were arrested by US authorities.