The president of Honduras was named in U.S. court documents for allegedly helping his brother leverage political connections to move cocaine into the U.S. and launder the proceeds. The allegations come amid the Central American nation’s efforts to position itself as a partner in the fight against drug trafficking.

Though President Juan Orlando Hernandez is not charged with any crimes, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, a former Honduran congressman, is currently in U.S. custody facing several drug trafficking conspiracy charges in the Southern District of New York. Newly filed documents call the Honduran president a co-conspirator with Hernandez and former President Porfirio Lobo for allegedly using drug trafficking proceeds to fund political campaigns for allies. The case was first reported by Univision.

Tony Hernandez allegedly relied on his brother, the Honduras National Party, and corrupt police to work with Central American drug lords. The Hernandez brothers allegedly used police to escort shipments and carry out enforcement actions. The former congressman is also accused of leaking sensitive police and military intelligence to traffickers. The documents suggest the Hernandez family helped empower the criminal organizations currently terrorizing Honduras.

The filing is unprecedented for singling-out a sitting president for allegedly working directly with drug traffickers for political gain. It remains unclear if prosecutors will eventually file charges against President Hernandez.

Honduras President by ildefonso ortiz on Scribd

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.