Prosecutor Reveals an Alleged $1M Bribe Paid by 'El Chapo'

Prosecutors alleged Wednesday that convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán personally gave $1 million in bribes to the brother of Honduras' president to pass on to the Central American leader—who swiftly denied wrongdoing. Prosecutor Jason Richman revealed the allegation in a federal court in Manhattan where Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernández, 41, is accused of using his government connections to smuggle US-bound cocaine through Honduras. In opening statements, Richman described Hernández as "untouchable" in Honduras and confident he would never face justice because of his powerful sibling, the AP reports. The defendant was described as a "violent drug trafficker of epic proportions" who moved "massive" amounts of narcotics.

"The defendant was protected by and had access to his brother, the current sitting president of Honduras, a man who himself has received millions of dollars in drug money bribes—bribes he received from some of the largest cocaine traffickers in the world, bribes he received from men like 'El Chapo' and the Sinaloa cartel who personally delivered $1 million to the defendant for his brother," Richman said. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández has been labeled a co-conspirator, though he has not been charged. Prosecutors allege he took some $1.5 million in drug proceeds to win his first presidential campaign in 2013, in exchange for traffickers receiving protection. "The allegation in itself is 100% false, absurd and ridiculous ... this is less serious than Alice in Wonderland," the president tweeted Wednesday