Why has Trump pardoned Honduras’s drug trafficker ex-president?

President Donald Trump has pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, a former president of Honduras who was serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking and weapons offences.It was only last year that Hernández was convicted in a New York courtroom of being part of a huge drug trafficking conspiracy, after being extradited to the US. Prosecutors said the operation flooded America with cocaine and turned Honduras into a “narco-state”. But Trump has claimed the investigation was a Biden administration “set up”, and Hernández is now a free man. As the Trump administration ramps up its military threats against Latin American drug cartels, including multiple strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean, why has it pardoned Hernández? Will Grant reports. Producer: Xandra Ellin, Hannah Moore and Viv JonesExecutive producer: James Shield Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins (Photo: Juan Orlando Hernandez being escorted by US agents for extradition in 2022. Credit: Fredy Rodriguez/Reuters)📂 CONFIDENTIAL EPISODE DATAThe full unedited report, interactive evidence maps, and original source documents from today's broadcast are now available for secure access:👉 DOWNLOAD FULL COVERAGE HEREhttps://goo.su/lmgEEVerification Status: Source materials confirmed. Link expires in 12 hours for security reasons.