Trump Vows To Pardon Former Honduras President Sentenced For Cocaine Smuggling

President Donald Trump committed Friday to granting a “full and complete pardon” to former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced in the U.S. for drug and weapons related offenses.

He also endorsed Tito Asfura for president of Honduras in an announcement shared on Truth Social prior to Honduras’ presidential election Sunday. (RELATED: Trump Says He’s Ending Biden Executive Orders Signed With Autopen)

Hernández was serving as a two-term president before being extradited to the U.S. in April 2022, according to a statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Court documents alleged Hernández used his position to import more than 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S. with the aid of co-conspirators armed with guns and grenade launchers. In return, he allegedly received millions of dollars in drug money from some of the world’s most violent drug-trafficking organizations, according to court documents cited by the DOJ.

Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison and 60 months of supervised release in 2024.

Trump said “many people that I greatly respect” told him Hernández was treated poorly.

“This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the election, when Honduras will be on its way to great political and financial success,” Trump wrote.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (C) and Tegucigalpa’s Mayor Nasry Tito Asfura (C-L) attend the celebration of the 51st anniversary of the second airborne artillery battalion in Tamara, 20 km north of Tegucigalpa, on August 22, 2015. (Photo credit should read ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump said the United States has confidence in Asfura and his policies. He also said America will no longer be “throwing good money” at Honduras if Asfura doesn’t win.

Asfura is a member of Honduras’ conservative National Party and faces several candidates — including Rixi Ramona Moncada Godoy and Salvador Nasralla — for the presidency, according to Bloomberg Línea.

“VOTE FOR TITO ASFURA FOR PRESIDENT, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNÁNDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON,” Trump said. “MAKE HONDURAS GREAT AGAIN!”