Son of Honduran ex-president pleads guilty in US

NEW YORK: The son of a former president of Honduras on Monday pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, a year after his arrest.
Fabio Lobo, son of Porfirio Lobo, was arrested on May 20 in Haiti by local agents and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and flown to New York to face criminal prosecution.
The 44-year-old entered a guilty plea in New York to one count of conspiracy to import and distribute 5kg or more of cocaine, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.
Lobo will be sentenced on Sept 15, prosecutors said. His father led Honduras from 2010 to 2014, during which time he pledged to fight organized crime.
"Whether you are a street-level dealer, a member of a cartel, or the son of a former foreign president, drug dealing is drug dealing," said Preet Bharara, the top US prosecutor for Manhattan.
"It is a serious federal crime for which you will be prosecuted."
US officials say that Lobo in 2014 agreed to help two purported Mexican drug traffickers, who were in fact working for the DEA, transport tons of cocaine through Honduras, destined for the United States.
Lobo introduced them to Honduran police who agreed to provide security and logistical support to transport the cocaine.
Current Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has launched an offensive against drug traffickers whom he blames for the high murder rate in the country.
Lobo was arrested in Haiti where he travelled to be paid for the job. — AFP