Former US President Donald Trump has ignited a fierce political storm by granting a presidential pardon to Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras who was convicted of conspiring to smuggle hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.
Controversial Pardon Sparks Bipartisan Outrage
The decision, announced last week, led to immediate condemnation from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Hernandez, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was found guilty by a US court of facilitating the import of approximately 400 tons of cocaine. He was extradited weeks after leaving office, convicted, and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
His release from a federal prison in West Virginia was confirmed on Monday, with the US Bureau of Prisons website listing the discharge of an individual matching his details. His wife, Ana Garcia de Hernandez, celebrated on social media, calling it "a day we will never forget" and thanking Trump for the pardon.
A Contradiction in the 'War on Drugs'
The pardon has been labelled hypocritical, given Trump's simultaneous aggressive stance against drug trafficking from Latin America. His administration has recently ordered US military forces to blow up small boats in the Caribbean suspected of carrying narcotics, a tactic international experts deem likely illegal. Major forces are also deployed to pressure Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, whom Trump has designated as part of a drug cartel.
"Trump is illegally blowing up boats in the Caribbean - supposedly to stop drugs coming into the US. Yet he pardons the former president of Honduras who was convicted of sending cocaine to the US," Democratic Senator Ed Markey stated on X.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican, echoed the sentiment, asking: "Why would we pardon this guy and then go after Maduro for running drugs into the United States?"
Political Meddling in Honduras Election
The controversy deepens with Trump's direct involvement in Honduras's ongoing presidential election. The preliminary count remains extremely tight, and Trump is heavily backing right-wing candidate Nasry Asfura, who currently leads by just 515 votes. Asfura is from the same political party as the pardoned Hernandez.
Trump warned late Tuesday there would be "hell to pay" if Honduras tried "to change the results." Rixi Moncada, the ruling party candidate trailing behind, accused Trump of "interventionist" meddling.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the pardon, portraying Hernandez as a victim of prosecutorial overreach under President Joe Biden, claiming he was charged because he "was opposed to the values of the previous administration."
The move leaves Trump's ostensible war on drugs appearing strategically inconsistent, intertwining high-stakes foreign policy with domestic political calculations and sparking a significant diplomatic and ethical debate.
