Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez He appeared in the National Congress this Wednesday along with the Defense and Security Cabinet to present a report on the progress in the fight against drug trafficking, mutation of maras and gangs, including with regard to his administration.
“There is a team of experts who have recommended that we migrate from the circuit of jurisdiction against extortion to a circuit that includes other crimes and illegal activities, this is a reality that we have to fight head-on because if we do nothing today they will soon be able to do it. land, ”the president began by saying.
“As you know and as stated in our constitution, my term as president will end on January 27, 2022, that day, in 11 months I am leaving the presidency and I will hand over the command to the next president to be elected in November. I repeat, until the day I leave office, January 27, 2022, I will continue to fight criminals because that is the commitment to my country that I have taken on and because I know of no other way to live than to fight against it pissed off. , ‘he said. Hernandez.
The president stated that “the drug traffickers have found what they believe the magic key, an instrument so wicked and powerful that God put it in the 10 commandments, Exodus 20:16: ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,’ but for the assassins and drug dealers, even the word of the Lord does not prevent them from confiscating on the magic key, believing that they can destroy all who fight against them. “
“It’s easy to forget how it used to be when drug jets filled the air of Honduras like flying insects on a hot day. Less than 15 years ago, the US embassy here in Honduras said the then government was so closely linked.” organized crime that close cooperation between law enforcement officials was impossible, ”he added.
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“The drug cartels and gangs operated with impunity and if they ever went to jail it didn’t matter much because they controlled the prison. Less than 10 years ago Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world and extradition was not allowed. the constitution, ”he recalled.
He noted that the National Police was corrupted and permeated by organized crime to the point that, according to self-proclaimed drug traffickers, they murdered a head of the anti-drug unit along with senior police officers, one of these violent and bloodthirsty criminal groups “Los Cachiros”
He explained that when he assumed the presidency of the National Congress, eight security laws were passed that “were hated and feared by drug traffickers.” He pointed out that the constitution has been amended to allow extradition for the first time.
“After I was elected president, we were able to clear the National Police, not only were more than 40% of the police fired and six of the nine senior officials fired, we set up a committee of citizens of the civil society. civil society, they were given the power and authority to determine who would be removed and who would stay, ”he noted.
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Honduras has extradited 24 people who have been charged and filed by the United States, 15 surrendered directly to negotiate with the DEA, and five have been imprisoned.
Today ‘Los Cachiros’ and other drug traffickers, known hitmen, are negotiating using the magic key, telling lies when they claim the drug traffickers could make deals with me, but they are part of their revenge. telling them was that they would only get a deal if they could give testimony that would lead to criminal charges and convictions of other people, ”he said.
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Hernández assured in his speech that “Los Cachiros wanted” revenge “on the president, the other officials and the institutions that destroyed their criminal empire and that they would not make a deal with them.” Los Cachiros “concluded she could use false testimonials to make arrangements in the United States.”
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They have no evidence to support their lies, ‘Los Cachiros’ have not yet been convicted and in theory the US system does not grant benefits or penalties if the testimony is false, but so far they have not been punished for lying, quite the contrary, they are motivated to do so in order to reduce their sentences, that their families live with impunity in the United States, and that they have retained much of their bloody earnings, ”he insisted.
The president also referred to working with allied countries to reduce the passage of cocaine, which “has only increased from 87% to 4% in 2020, according to data from the Joint Task Force Southern Command.”
During his performance he regretted that “this fight comes at a high price: brave policemen, soldiers, prosecutors and judges have given their lives in this fight against crime. The drug traffickers have tried to kill me several times, they failed, now they want see or what their assassins don’t want. They could accomplish it some other way, with the magic key, “he said.