Ex-president pleads not-guilty on drugs

NEW YORK: Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez pleaded not guilty to US drug and weapons charges in a Manhattan federal court yesterday following his extradition last month from the Central American country.

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

Hernandez denied the allegations, accusing traffickers of smearing him to get revenge and lighten their sentences.