Honduras ex-President Hernandez, once a US ally, faces drug trafficking trial

FILE PHOTO: Hondura?s President Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Pool

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez's trial on U.S. drug trafficking charges starts Tuesday, giving a New York jury the chance to determine whether Washington's onetime key anti-drug ally actually ran the Central American country as a "narco-state."

Hernandez was close to Washington during his 2014-2022 tenure. Honduras received more than $50 million in U.S. anti-narcotics assistance and tens of millions more in security and military aid during his presidency, and he won support from former President Donald Trump for cracking down on migration.