Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez gives a thumbs up from a vehicle upon his arrival at Palmerola International Airport following a pardon by U.S. President Donald Trump, which freed Hernandez from a 45-year prison sentence for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, near Comayagua, Honduras, July 26, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Fredy Rodriguez)
27 Jul 2026 03:13AM
(Updated: 27 Jul 2026 03:15AM)
TEGUCIGALPA: Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez returned to Honduras on Sunday (Jul 26), eight months after US President Donald Trump pardoned him while he was serving a 45-year US prison sentence for drug and arms trafficking.Hernandez, who served two consecutive terms as president from 2014 to 2022, landed at Palmerola International Airport, about 60km northwest of the capital, on a private flight.He was greeted by several family members, including his mother, daughters and wife Ana Garcia, who ran unsuccessfully for his party's presidential candidature in 2025, losing to current President Nasry Asfura.On the runway, they knelt to pray, then waved to hundreds of party supporters who had arrived by bus to receive Hernandez before he took another flight to Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa.
