Fredy Nájera, the deputy who created the political network of drug trafficking in Honduras

Fredy Nájera Montoya was not just a Honduran congressman; for the New York Attorney General’s Office, he was one of the main facilitators of drug trafficking in Honduras.

For at least seven years, while holding a seat in the National Congress, he used his power to corrupt institutions and promote a criminal network that transported cocaine on a large scale to the United States .

He is estimated to have helped move at least 20,000 kilograms of cocaine, a staggering amount he confessed to facilitating as part of his plea deal.

Nájera commanded a violent organization, surrounded by dozens of men armed with military equipment, including grenade launchers and machine guns.

He controlled clandestine landing strips where he received planes and helicopters full of cocaine.

Not only did he control drug transportation, but he also bribed politicians and senior law enforcement officials, thereby ensuring that his criminal operation could continue without interference.

Fredy Nájera’s criminal history began in 2008, two years after assuming his position in Congress for the department of Olancho.

In collaboration with some of the continent’s most notorious drug traffickers, including Sergio Neftalí Mejía Duarte, Los Cachiros, Los Valle Valle and the Sinaloa Cartel , Nájera facilitated the entry of huge shipments of cocaine into Honduras.

Mejía Duarte, for example, was one of his main partners in drug trafficking operations, receiving planes loaded with cocaine at the landing strips that Nájera controlled in Olancho.

Together, they not only facilitated the entry of drugs, but also used violence to secure their territory.

Armed with pistols, rifles and explosives, Nájera’s men guarded the landing strips, while he ensured that the drugs reached the Sinaloa Cartel in San Pedro Sula without problems .

Narcopolitics and power

Nájera’s corruption network reached the highest levels of power in Honduras. In 2012, Nájera funneled a million-dollar bribe from the Sinaloa Cartel to a presidential candidate.

He was also recorded in 2014 in meetings with congressmen and drug traffickers, where they discussed ways to obtain support from the newly elected Honduran president.

His influence was not limited to political negotiations. Between 2009 and 2013, Nájera transported cocaine on at least 15 occasions for Los Cachiros, an organization that dominated the department of Colón.

Nájera, along with his partner Mejía Duarte, personally escorted the shipments in armored trucks and with heavily armed security teams.

On one occasion, he led a convoy of security vehicles, carrying a pistol and wearing a bulletproof vest marked “Police . ”

Alliances with the cartels

The Sinaloa Cartel also played a key role in Nájera’s network. In 2008, high-ranking members of the cartel, including Jaime Gastelum Serrano , met with Nájera at one of his airstrips in Olancho.

This collaboration allowed tons of cocaine to enter Honduras and then be transported through Guatemala and Mexico to the United States.

Nájera built and guarded these airstrips with the help of armed men and military vehicles, ensuring that no authority could interfere with his operations.

When security forces began intercepting planes in 2013, the Sinaloa Cartel changed its strategy, beginning to use helicopters to transport drugs.

Nájera, always adapting to challenges, agreed to receive the shipments at his ranches in Olancho.

For every kilo of cocaine received, Nájera earned around 900 dollars. Between 2012 and 2013, he received approximately 12 planeloads of cocaine.

The twilight of power

Despite his power and wealth, Fredy Nájera was unable to escape justice. After turning himself in to the US authorities, instead of showing remorse, he continued to lie and try to obstruct the judicial process.

He repeatedly tried to delay his trial, citing threats from witnesses in prison and falsely declaring his innocence on some charges, prosecutors said.

Although Najera, sentenced to 30 years in prison, tried to manipulate the system, his downfall exposed the complex web of corruption that linked politics and drug trafficking in Honduras.