Honduran ex-president accused of running his country as a ‘narco-state’ stands trial in NYC

By PHILIP MARCELO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is facing charges that he ran his impoverished Central American nation as a “narco-state.” His trial on drug trafficking and weapons charges began Tuesday when a jury was chosen in Manhattan federal court. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday. Federal prosecutors say that for years Hernández received millions of dollars from cartels in exchange for allowing hundreds of thousands of kilos of cocaine destined for the U.S. to pass through his country. He was arrested at his home in Tegucigalpa and extradited to the U.S. in 2022. Hernández served as president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022. He has denied wrongdoing.