TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison after a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Hernández was released Monday from U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press.

The release of Hernández -- a former U.S. ally whose conviction prosecutors said exposed the depth of cartel influence in Honduras -- comes just days after the country's presidential election. Trump defended the decision aboard Air Force One on Sunday, saying Hondurans believed Hernández had been "set up," even as prose

See Full Page