The Supreme Court of Honduras said in a statement that it voted unanimously in favor of the extradition of the first charge “concerning the importation of a controlled substance into the United States”. The majority voted in favor of his extradition on two counts related to possession of firearms. Hernandez, who stepped down in January after eight years as president, will remain in custody until the Honduran authorities coordinate with authorized agents to transport him to the United States, the statement said. The former president was arrested at his home on February 15 at the request of the US government. About a month earlier, federal prosecutors claimed that Hernandez had helped a alleged drug dealer deliver thousands of pounds of cocaine to the United States in exchange for heavy bribes. His government at the time denied the allegations. Hernandez’s brother, Tony Hernandez, is currently serving a life sentence in a US federal prison for drug trafficking. According to court records in that case, U.S. authorities believe former President Hernandez was a conspirator in the operation, channeling drug money to help fund his presidential campaigns. Hernandez has repeatedly denied the allegations. CNN’s Matt Rivers and Caitlin Hu contributed to this report.
