Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison last year for his involvement in a drug-trafficking scheme that transported large quantities of cocaine to the United States, has been released from prison after receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate website indicated that Hernández was discharged from U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton in West Virginia on Monday, with a bureau spokesperson verifying the release on Tuesday.
Expressing gratitude for Trump’s pardon of Hernández, his wife, Ana García, conveyed her appreciation via the social platform X early Tuesday, stating that after enduring nearly four years of anguish and challenges, her husband has regained his freedom. García shared a screenshot of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons record confirming Hernández’s release.
When questioned by reporters on Air Force One, Trump explained that he granted the pardon in response to requests from Honduras, as many Hondurans believed Hernández was wrongly implicated in the case. Hernández’s attorney, Renato Stabile, mentioned in a statement that he could not disclose the ex-president’s current whereabouts but emphasized Hernández’s relief that the ordeal is finally over. Stabile also extended gratitude to President Trump for rectifying what he referred to as an injustice.
Hernández was apprehended at the behest of the United States in February 2022, shortly after Xiomara Castro assumed the presidency in Honduras. Subsequently, Hernández was handed a 45-year prison sentence in a New York federal court two years later for accepting bribes from drug traffickers to facilitate the safe passage of around 360 tonnes of cocaine through Honduras to the U.S. At the commencement of his trial in February 2024, a U.S. prosecutor disclosed that Hernández had boasted about collaborating with drug dealers to transport drugs to the U.S.
Despite maintaining his innocence and asserting that he was targeted by vengeful drug traffickers he had helped extradite, Hernández was unanimously convicted by the jury in less than two days. During the sentencing, federal Judge P. Kevin Castel emphasized that the punishment should serve as a deterrent to influential individuals who believe their status shields them from accountability when engaging in illicit activities.
Trump’s decision to pardon Hernández drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers, with Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine condemning the move as “shocking” and indicative of Trump’s disregard for drug trafficking concerns. While some Republican reactions varied, with mixed opinions expressed by Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin and Florida congressmember Maria Elvira Salazar, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy strongly criticized the decision.
Hernández’s return to Honduras remains uncertain, with the country’s Attorney General, Johel Zelaya, affirming the commitment to pursue justice without impunity. The pardon, issued just before Honduras’s presidential election, introduced a new dynamic to the political landscape, as Trump endorsed Nasry Asfura of the National Party. The election process continued as planned following the pardon announcement.