New data on drug trafficking investigation in the US 1:45
(CNN Spanish) ––
A New York jury found Honduran Geovanny Fuentes Ramírez guilty of drug trafficking and use of weapons, after a two-week trial, in which two witnesses linked him to the president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez.
After two days of deliberations and hearing the testimonies of two protected witnesses and a cooperating witness that the Prosecutor's Office presented, among other evidence, the 12 members of the jury determined that Fuentes Ramírez is guilty of the crimes of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and use of high-caliber firearms and explosive devices.
Witness statements
Fuentes Ramírez was arrested in March 2020 at the Miami International Airport.
This is due to his alleged links with Juan Antonio Hernández, brother of the president of Honduras and former deputy.
The latter was found guilty of drug trafficking by a New York court.
Fuentes had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
US prosecutors once again link President Juan Orlando Hernández to drug trafficking in their final arguments in a trial in New York
Presenting his closing arguments, US Attorney Michael Lockard told jurors that Geovanny Fuentes Ramírez bought and paid police officers and politicians to protect his drug trade.
"You learned how he used briefcases of cash and kilos of cocaine to buy a corrupt deal with the soon-to-be president of Honduras," he said.
advertising
The prosecutor was referring to the statement of a protected witness, identified by the pseudonym "José Sánchez".
In his testimony, he said that in 2013 he witnessed meetings between Fuentes Ramírez and Juan Orlando Hernández.
According to him, in those meetings the then presidential candidate assured that they could traffic drugs through Honduran territory with the support of the military, police and the country's attorney general, Oscar Chinchilla.
President Hernández has not been formally charged with any crime.
In addition, he has always rejected the accusations.
This Monday he reacted on his Twitter account.
"Any narrative about the battle against drug trafficking in Honduras that omits the unprecedented reduction of 95% (official US data) that we achieved is generally just a vehicle for dramatic headlines to promote the false testimony of the drug traffickers we defeat," he said. .
They seek to prevent the Honduran president from entering the United States 1:02
Fuentes Ramírez's lawyer responds
Last week CNN contacted the Chinchilla prosecutor's office to find out its reaction to these accusations.
The Public Ministry spokesman indicated that they would not comment for the moment.
During a virtual meeting of prosecutors from the member countries of the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador), in August 2020, Chinchilla expressed his willingness to work together to confront transnational crime.
"Fundamentally this year we are going to focus first on the issue of combating drug trafficking," said the Honduran prosecutor.
The New York Prosecutor's Office also presented cooperating witness Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga, leader of the so-called "Cartel de los Cachiros."
Rivera Maradiaga said that in exchange for protection for his illicit businesses, he paid thousands of dollars to Hernández and the two presidents who preceded him, Porfirio Lobo and Manuel Zelaya.
Both Lobo and Zelaya reject the accusations and deny ties to drug trafficking.
In addition to the leaders, he affirmed that he also paid the military, police and other politicians.
US Prosecutors Say Honduran President Profited and Provided Protection to Alleged Drug Trafficker;
the Presidency of Honduras says that the statement is "false"
Fuentes Ramírez's attorney, Avraham Moskowitz, said Rivera Maradiaga's testimony lacked credibility.
He assured that he is a criminal who murdered 78 people.
He also mentioned that Rivera repeatedly lied to prosecutors about the amount of drugs he imported into the United States.
"He has no morals or scruples, and he probably has no soul," Moscowitz said of Rivera Maradiaga.
Lawyer Moscowitz had also dismissed “Sánchez's” testimony about Fuentes Ramírez's alleged meetings and bribery payments to Hernández.
In that sense, he stressed that the Prosecutor's Office did not present evidence such as recordings, videos or checks to prove these accusations.
CNN has not been able to verify that the figure for the reduction of drug trafficking in Honduras expressed by Hernández on his Twitter account is correct.
Juan Orlando Hernández Drug Trafficking
