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August 2, 2024

Ex-Head of Honduras's Police Force Sentenced to 19 Years in U.S. for Drug Trafficking
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Here in New York, the chief of the Honduran National Police has been
sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year
to cocaine trafficking charges. Juan Carlos "El Tigre" Bonilla was
extradited to the United States in 2022 and was expected to go on trial
with former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, when Bonilla
accepted a plea deal.

Bonilla was accused of deploying Honduran armed forces to protect drug
traffickers and enable the flow of cocaine shipments in Honduras while
committing widespread human rights abuses, while receiving the backing
of the United States government. Former Honduran president and longtime
U.S. ally Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in a U.S.
prison in June after a jury convicted him of cocaine trafficking.


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