Two high-ranking military officers, Generals Willy Joel Oseguera Rodas and Tulio Armando Romero Palacios, have been captured at the Palmerola airport in Honduras upon their return from the USA on a commercial flight. The Minister of Security, Gustavo Sánchez, confirmed their arrest and stated that they are being taken to the DPI in Tegucigalpa and will then be transferred to the Military Court.
The arrest warrants for the two officers were issued by the military courts, and Deputy Police Commissioner Juan Sabillón explained that they will be transferred to the courts that requested them. The capture of Generals Oseguera and Romero comes days after they appeared as defense witnesses in the trial against former President Juan Orlando Hernández in New York, where he was convicted for three drug trafficking crimes.
General Tulio Armando Romero Palacios, who serves as an advisor to the Presidential Honor Guard, was the first witness presented by the defense of Hernández during the trial. The Honduran Armed Forces reported that the two officers traveled without permission to the United States to testify in the trial against Hernández, also known as JOH, in early March.
The case is now being referred to the Military Courts, as the officers had traveled to the United States on February 29 without proper authorization. The arrest warrants for Generals Oseguera and Romero highlight the complex legal and political implications of their involvement in the high-profile trial of the former president.