Honduras arrests the former president: Drug Trafficking Suspected

Honduras police arrested former President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Tuesday at the request of the United States. Washington suspects that Mr. Hernandez is involved in illegal drug trafficking.

Mr. Hernandez, who left his post three weeks ago, was accompanied by his house in Tegucigalpa, chained in fetters and a bulletproof jacket in his body.

The Supreme Court elected a judge to handle the case, and he signed an order for the former president's arrest. Police, who had surrounded Mr. Hernandez's house since Monday, took him into custody.

Mr. Hernandez was repeatedly involved in his brother's trial of drug trafficking in 2019 by New York prosecutors. Brother Juan Antonio Hernández was found guilty of drug and arms charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this month there were reliable reports that Mr. Hernandez has been involved in considerable corruption by committing or facilitating acts of corruption and narcotics and using income to finance his political career.

Mr. Hernandez was sworn in as representative of Honduras in the Central American Parliament on January 27th, just hours after his successor, Xiomara Castro, became the country's first woman president. His lawyer says he has immunity from extradition because he is deputy of the regional parliament.

Honduras's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday in Titter that the American Embassy in Tegucigalpa had officially demanded the arrest of a Bosnian politician for possible extradition to the United States. Former President Hernandez was identified as politician wanted for extradition after television network CNN broadcast images of demand.

*Article contains data received by Associated Press news agencies, Reuters and AFP