Brother of Honduran president used speedboats, submarines to smuggle cocaine: courts

The brother of the president of Honduras used speedboats, planes and even a submarine to transport “multi-ton loads” of cocaine, according to an indictment in Manhattan federal court.

Juan Antonio Hernandez Alvarado, a former congressman in Honduras, even stamped his initials — “TH” for “Tony Hernandez” — on each bag of cocaine he shipped to the US, the indictment says.

He also bribed local law-enforcement officials in exchange for “sensitive information to protect drug shipments” and used members of the Honduran National Police in order to provide “heavily armed security” to transport cocaine within Honduras, court papers say.

Hernandez, 40, was arrested in Miami last week and transferred to New York, where he faces charges related to drug trafficking, weapons and “destructive devices,” and lying to federal agents.

Hernandez, who was elected to congress in 2013, is one of 16 siblings of current Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez.

“We were all raised to respect everyone around us, but I can’t deny that this is a strong blow for my family,” the Honduran president told reporters last week.
“It’s sad, it’s difficult and we don’t wish this on anyone.”

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