U.S. President Donald Trump has granted an unexpected pardon to Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras who was serving a life sentence in federal prison for large-scale drug trafficking and weapons crimes. The decision, announced Tuesday, erases all U.S. convictions against Hernández and immediately nullifies his sentence.
Hernández, who governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022, had been found guilty in March 2024 by a federal jury in Manhattan for orchestrating a years-long conspiracy to funnel massive quantities of cocaine into the United States. Prosecutors argued that he used his political influence – first as head of the National Congress and later as president – to support and shield major drug traffickers in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes. Court filings described the arrangement as a form of “state-backed” narcotics trafficking, implicating powerful political and security networks within Honduras.
A pivotal element of the case involved Hernández’s brother, a former congressional figure who was separately convicted in 2019 for drug trafficking and is also serving a life sentence. Testimony from U.S. authorities detailed payments made to the former Honduran leader from several cartels.
Trump’s office, in announcing the pardon, said the former president exercised his constitutional authority because he believed the prosecution had been driven by political motives. The statement praised Hernández as a “reliable partner” on migration enforcement and regional security during his time in office.
Legal experts note that presidential pardons for foreign officials convicted of serious international crimes are extremely uncommon, making the decision one of the most controversial acts of clemency in recent U.S. history. The Department of Justice, which led the high-profile case, declined to comment on the development.
Meanwhile, officials in Honduras have not issued an immediate response. While the pardon eliminates Hernández’s legal exposure in the United States, it offers no protection from potential prosecution in Honduras, where anti-corruption investigations related to his presidency remain active. His future legal and political status in the country is now uncertain as authorities there continue to examine allegations tied to his administration.
