Former Honduras President Sent to US on Drug Charges

Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández has been extradited to the United States, drawing to a close a shocking saga in which he went from a top US ally to an accused drug trafficker, and setting the stage for a blockbuster trial in New York.

The former president's extradition came quickly. Authorities detained him at his Tegucigalpa home on February 15, a day after US prosecutors asked for his extradition. Though his lawyers appealed his removal while the former president was held in police custody in the capital, Honduras' Supreme Court ratified the lower judge's ruling to extradite Hernández on March 28, leaving him without any further options. While his extradition was rapid, Hernández's downfall was long in the making. During his second term in office, which ended earlier this year, US prosecutors alleged in a string of drug cases that Hernández had received bribes from traffickers for protection and was complicit in his brother's cocaine ring.

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