Photo: Fernando Antonio/AP Photo/Picture Alliance / Deutsche Welle
The Honduran Supreme Court of Justice authorized this Friday the extradition to the United States of the former head of the National Police Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, who is claimed for two crimes associated with drug trafficking and one with the use of weapons.
The first instance judge hearing the case decided to “grant the extradition of citizen Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares”, after holding the evacuation hearing and evidence, spokesman for the Honduran Supreme Court, Melvin Duarte, told journalists.
The New York Prosecutor’s Office accuses Bonilla Valladares of two charges related to drug trafficking and the use of weapons, for which he could face a maximum of life imprisonment, these crimes also involve the former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández.
The Supreme Court spokesman pointed out that the defense of Bonilla Valladares has three days to decide r if he will present resources to avoid the extradition of his client, who will continue to be detained in a military battalion near Tegucigalpa while his transfer to the United States takes place.
“If the guarantee of second instance is not used, that is, the presentation of the corresponding appeal, the decision of the judge of first instance would be final and the communications of the case would be made with the Secretaries of Security, Defense and Foreign Relations to carry out the coordination to execute the delivery”, explained Duarte.
Bonilla Valladares, who held the position of head of the National Police between 2012 and 2013, is accused of participating in a conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, using and carrying machine guns and destructive devices in connection with the conspiracy to import drugs, and using and carrying firearms in furtherance of the cocaine importation conspiracy .
Linked to the Hernández brothers
The former police director played a “key role in an international drug trafficking conspiracy” and committed crimes on behalf of the convicted ex-deputy “Tony” Hernández, “and his brother the president ”, referring to the now ex-governor Juan Orlando Hernández, among them “the murder of a rival trafficker”, indicated in April 2019 the prosecutor of the district of Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman.
According to the US authorities, Bonilla Valladares, who was captured on March 9 north of Tegucigalpa, abused his position to violate the law and “supervised the shipment of multiple tons of cocaine to the United States, used machine guns and other weapons to obtain it, and participated in extreme violence, including the murder of a rival trafficker, to promote the conspiracy”.
The Prosecutor cites in the indictment of the former Police Chief h onduran the “evidence presented” in the trial held last October of 2019 in New York against “Tony” Hernández and the “statements made before the tribunal”, in which it was alleged that several drug trafficking organizations had “support” from politicians and law enforcement officials in Honduras between 1200 Y 2020.
The charges imputed to Bonilla Valladares involve former President Hernández, whom an “Ad hoc” Constitutional Chamber on Wednesday ratified his extradition to the US, a country that requires him to prosecute him for three charges associated with drug trafficking and use of weapons.
former ruler was captured on February 15 at his home in Tegucigalpa, one day after the Embassy of the United States requested, through the Honduran Foreign Ministry, his “formal provisional arrest”, for purposes of “extradition”.
The plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice ratified on March 28 the extradition of Hernández (2014-2014), who was authorized on the day 28 of the same month by a natural judge.
USA declassified on February 7 the inclusion of Juan Orlando Hernández on its list of corrupt last July, when he was still in office, for his alleged links to drug trafficking.
mg (ef, AP, afp)