Former Honduran Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Charges in New York
Former high-ranking member of the Honduran National Police, Mauricio Hernández, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in the Southern District Court of New York. The 51-year-old, who was purged from the police force in 2018, appeared at a guilty plea hearing before trial judge Robert W. Lehrburger on Friday.
Hernández is accused of participating in and supporting drug trafficking activities, including providing armed security for multi-ton cocaine shipments and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. The United States has accused him of three counts related to drug activity, including conspiring to import cocaine into the country.
According to the indictment, Hernández provided confidential information about planned operations to help his accomplices evade detection while transporting cocaine through Honduras.
He voluntarily surrendered to the United States justice system in February 2020, traveling to Guatemala where he surrendered to DEA agents at an airport. Official documentation shows that Hernández’s arrest was recorded at around 5:45 PM on February 12, 2020.
Hernández is set to stand trial on February 12, 2024, along with Juan Orlando Hernández and Juan Carlos “El Tigre” Bonilla. The former police officer’s guilty plea comes as a significant development in the ongoing case, and it remains to be seen how his cooperation with authorities may impact the trial.