Honduran ex-president pleads not guilty to U.S. drugs, weapons charges

FILE PHOTO: Honduras former President Juan Orlando Hernandez is escorted by authorities as he walks towards a plane of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for his extradition to the United States, to face a trial on drug trafficking and arms possession charges, at the Hernan Acosta Mejia Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras April 21, 2022. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday following his extradition last month from the Central American country.

U.S. prosecutors have accused Hernandez, a former U.S. ally, of receiving millions of dollars from drug traffickers in exchange for protection from arrest while leading Honduras from 2014 until January of this year. Hernandez used the money to enrich himself and finance his political campaigns, prosecutors said.