Honduran official suspected of drug trafficking resigns

Honduras’ defense minister and his father, a deputy who are respectively the nephew and brother-in-law of President Xiomara Castro, resigned on Saturday over their alleged roles in a drug trafficking scandal, three days after the leftist leader scrapped an extradition treaty with the United States.

Congressional Secretary Carlos Zelaya, brother of former President Manuel Zelaya, husband of Castro who was overthrown in a 2009 coup, announced his resignation to face investigation into links with drug traffickers.

He told reporters: “I will submit my resignation to Congress, resign as a member of parliament and as secretary of state, in order to get rid of any form of asylum and to accept investigation.” Shortly afterwards, his son José Manuel Zelaya resigned as defense minister.

“I have submitted my resignation as Secretary of Defense to the President in order to conduct a free investigation,” the senior official wrote on the social network X, emphasizing his father’s “integrity and honor.”

Carlos Zelaya said after his statement to the prosecutor’s office that he had “fallen into a trap” and admitted that he had participated in a 2013 meeting where a well-known Honduran drug trafficker was present and was offered a “movement donation” to the ruling Libertad and Refund party.

“That meeting was never approved by President Zelaya, he was neither recognized nor accompanied, let alone knew very little about that meeting, and President Castro was not aware of it. It was a meeting that I held unilaterally,” he claimed outside the Technical Institute for Criminal Investigations in Comayagueira, a city near Tegucigalpa.

The president has not yet commented on the resignation of her brother-in-law and nephew. However, former President Zelaya announced on October 13 that he had called an “emergency meeting” of the leadership of his Liberal Party for this Sunday.

Treaty cancellation

The deputy made the statement to the prosecutor’s office and the press three days after Castro announced he was canceling an extradition treaty with the United States, which allowed the Honduran government to jail and send to the United States 50 Hondurans suspected of drug trafficking, including powerful politicians.

The next day, she said it was done to prevent the United States from using nuclear weapons against military personnel loyal to her and to prevent a coup attempt. The leader said on Thursday: “Someone is making plans against my government,” alluding to the United States.

Analyst Jorge Yllesca said on Saturday that the abrogation of the treaty and the two resignations were intended to “protect some people close to the government and to align with geopolitics against the United States.”

Sociologist Pablo Carrias warned on Friday that the cancellation of the treaty with Washington gave rise to the perception that Honduran government officials were “linked to drugs.”

Castro made the decision in response to “interference” by the US ambassador to Tegucigalpa, Laura Dogu, who criticized a meeting between Venezuelan Minister Zelaya and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, General Roosevelt Hernández, and Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino López.

“Sitting next to Venezuelan drug dealers,” Dugu criticized.

Mentioned in New York Trial

Last March, Carlos Zelaya was mentioned as a candidate for the former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez Sentenced to 45 years in prison in New York for drug trafficking.

Deputy Zelaya added: “If tomorrow the U.S. government believes there is enough data or evidence to try me, I can be tried by U.S. justice tomorrow.”

Honduran Attorney General Jorgel Zelaya, who took office in November last year, sent a team to New York to observe the trial of Hernandez and investigate the Hondurans involved in the case.

“We will continue our investigation until the truth is revealed and justice is served in Honduras. No matter who the murderer is!” the prosecutor promised after Congressman Zelaya made the statement.

Last August, the official announced that he would call 36 people named in the investigation to testify, one of whom was Carlos Zelaya.