In a politically charged move that has drawn international attention, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández has been released from U.S. federal custody following a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Online prison records confirm Hernández departed the high-security USP Hazelton facility in West Virginia on Monday.
The former Honduran leader, who governed from 2014 to 2022, was convicted in March 2024 on serious charges including conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and illegal possession of machine guns. His 45-year prison sentence, handed down by a New York court, included an $8 million fine following prosecutors’ characterization of his administration as operating a ‘narco-state’ that accepted millions in bribes from drug traffickers.
Trump announced the controversial pardon through social media on Friday, asserting Hernández had been ‘treated very harshly and unfairly’ by the justice system. The former president further elaborated his reasoning to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, claiming the investigation represented a ‘Biden administration set-up’ designed to politically target Hernández.
The pardon emerges during a critical juncture in Honduran politics, with the country currently deadlocked in a ‘technical tie’ between right-wing candidate Nasry Asfura and centrist challenger Salvador Nasralla. Trump has openly inserted himself into the electoral process, praising Asfura as ‘standing up for democracy’ while labeling Nasralla a ‘borderline Communist.’
Hernández’s wife, Ana García de Hernández, publicly thanked Trump for the pardon, declaring her husband ‘a free man’ in Tuesday social media posts. The former president was originally extradited to the United States in April 2022 to face charges that he facilitated the smuggling of hundreds of tons of cocaine while shielding traffickers from justice.
The development occurs against the backdrop of ongoing U.S. pressure on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, whom the Trump administration has repeatedly accused of narcotics trafficking. Current Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who has maintained diplomatic ties with both Cuba and Venezuela, now faces renewed political uncertainty following her predecessor’s unexpected release.