Many Hondurans are celebrating what they see as a rare instance of accountability for corruption among the nation's ruling class. Juan Orlando Hernandez, the country’s former president, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after being convicted on drug and weapons charges. He had been found guilty by a Manhattan jury in March of accepting millions of dollars in bribes to protect cocaine shipments destined for the USA, despite his public stance against drug trafficking. Hernandez, who served as president from 2014 to 2022, maintained his innocence at the sentencing, claiming he was wrongfully accused. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, arguing that his actions facilitated large-scale drug trafficking and associated violence. They said he had used drug money to bribe officials and manipulate election results in 2013 and 2017. His brother, Tony Hernandez, was also sentenced to life in prison in 2021 on drug charges.