Ex-Honduran president thanks God – and Trump – for drug-trafficking pardon
Juan Orlando Hernández thanked the Lord for being 'a free man' and then Trump for 'changing my life'
www.theguardian.comHere’s the latest on Juan Orlando Hernández based on recent reporting:
- He was pardoned and released from a U.S. prison in December 2025 after a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. The pardon followed his 2024 conviction in New York on drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy charges, which had resulted in a 45-year sentence.[1][4][5]
- After his release, Hernández publicly thanked Trump and suggested that U.S. officials and political opponents were conspiring against him, a claim echoed in his subsequent video statements that frame the pardon as a political moment rather than a criminal resolution.[4][1]
- His extradition and prosecution timeline remains controversial and has been covered by multiple outlets, with earlier reports noting his surrender to Honduran authorities for extradition to the United States in 2022 and later developments around his conviction and sentencing in 2024.[5][8]
If you’d like, I can pull the most up-to-date outlets or provide a brief timeline with source links.
Citations:
- Recent pardon and release in December 2025.[1]
- Post-pardon statements and allegations of conspiracies.[4][1]
- Earlier extradition and 2024 conviction details.[9][5]