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The director of Insight Crime described Xiomara Castro’s message as contradictory when she stated that she does not trust the actions of the United States and also highlighted the work of that country’s judicial system.
The video published by Insight Crime on its website, which shows Carlos Zelaya , brother of former President Manuel Zelaya , generates comparisons with the case of Juan Antonio Hernández Alvarado, explains Steven Dudley, co-founder of the investigative website to tunota.com
Dudley points out that although both cases are similar, there are important differences.
In Duddley’s view, the case of Carlos Zelaya is an old one and, according to him, it is a case against which Zelaya could defend himself.
“It is not easy to build a solid judicial case against Carlos Zelaya. With that video, a political case could be built , but a judicial case would be much more difficult, especially as time passes,” warns the researcher.
However, he does not rule out the possibility that there may be testimony in the United States that could eventually lead to a case against him.
Narcos, part of the social, economic and political environment
Steven Dudley also points out that drug traffickers are already an integral part of the social, economic and political environment in Honduras.
“You have to understand that drug traffickers circulate in the same circles as traditional elites,” he explains.
Through various investigations, it is shown that these links are not limited to financial support; drug traffickers are, in many cases, business owners along with the elites.
“It’s absurd to think they’re crossing a line; they’re already in it,” Dudley says.
The extradition treaty and double standards
The co-founder of Insight Crime also referred to the national broadcast of September 3, 2024, in which President Xiomara Castro , together with the Ministers of Security and Defense , spoke about Honduran drug traffickers.
Dudley found the contradictory message curious. “Most of these cases were prosecuted in the United States. So, do you trust or not trust what the United States does? She wants to do both: to claim that she doesn’t trust the actions of the United States and that they are fomenting a coup against her, but at the same time, she highlights the work of the American judicial system with those same drug traffickers. That’s double standards,” says Dudley.
This ambiguity, according to Dudley, should lead Honduras to strengthen its own institutions.
“Extradition should not be the preferred tool of any State. Each country should be able to prosecute drug traffickers on its own territory. That is the only way to tackle this scourge,” he advises.
However, he stressed that extradition to the United States has proven to be a fundamental tool for neutralising drug lords in recent years and should not be eliminated.
“Removing it would mean losing sight of the underworld that becomes part of the circle of power. Without that tool, we wouldn’t see how organized crime and the elites in Honduras are related, and without it, we won’t see what will happen in the future,” Dudley laments.
