The Hernández family

The case of drug trafficking against former Congressman 'Tony' Hernández has also involved his brother, President Juan Orlando Hernández, and two cousins.

Juan Antonio 'Tony' Hernández/Courtesy of La Prensa

'Tony' and Juan Orlando are two of 17 brothers and sisters fathered by Juan Hernández, the former rural political chief or 'cacique' of Gracias, Lempira, a small coffee town in the department of Lempira, in the west of Honduras. The family owns a local hotel, the Posada de San Juan. They also produce a local coffee called Termas del Río, named for some hot springs on the outskirts of Gracias. Friends of 'Tony' Hernandez describe him a coffee grower and former congressman. But, according to the prosecution, 'Tony' Hernández got involved in the drug trade in 2004. His brother Juan Orlando Hernández, also received millions of dollars from drug traffickers for his political campaigns, according to the prosecution. And two cousins have been linked to the case as well.

Arms for the FARC and Sinaloa cartel

Planes arrived from Colombia loaded with cocaine, and supposedly returned with weapons.

Prosecution evidence

Apart from four charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, 'Tony' Hernandez is accused of using and transporting machine guns. In a surprising late addition to the case, prosecutors said they plan to offer testimony from two witnesses who say that 'Tony' Hernández conspired with members of the Honduran drug cartel, Los Valles, to smuggle weapons to the FARC guerrillas in Colombia and to the cartel of Sinaloa. A Honduran police officer reportedly delivered the weapons, which were wrapped in plastic, to Los Valles, who sent the machine guns to Colombia in return for a shipment of cocaine that Hernandez helped protect, according to court documents.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa

While he was President of Congress, Juan Orlando Hernández allegedly attended the World Cup - with two drug traffickers.

Court evidence

Did Juan Orlando Hernández meet two well-known drug traffickers during the World Cup in South Africa in 2010? According to the notes of a DEA agent in a separate drug case, convicted drug trafficker Miguel Valle said he traveled to South Africa with another drug dealer, Arnulfo Fagot Maximo, aka 'El Tío' (The Uncle), where he says they "sat and ate" with President Hernández who "knew they were traffickers." During the meeting, the traffickers allegedly discussed a shipment of 7,000 kilos of cocaine. The agent wrote in his notebook: "The Uncle left early because he had a submarine with 7,000 kilos." President Hernández's office did not respond to a request to comment on the alleged meeting.

$1 million from 'El Chapo'

The case against 'Tony' Hernández is the result of a lengthy investigation by a special DEA unit in Washington DC, the same one that investigated Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán.

DEA HQ

In the trial of 'Tony' Hernández, US prosecutors say his participation in drug trafficking began in early 2004. But he never faced charges in Honduras despite the growing evidence collected by Honduran officials. In the end, the DEA was forced to intervene and take over the investigation. The case is being handled by the Bilateral Investigations Unit of the Special Operations Division of DEA. It is the same unit that led the investigation against Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, sentenced in July to life imprisonment. The New York prosecutor alleges that 'El Chapo' contributed $1 million to the election campaign of Juan Orlando Hernández, a charge that President Hernández has refuted.

A brand of cocaine allegedly inspired by Tommy Hilfiger

The prosecution presented an image to the jury of an alleged sample of cocaine that was sold by 'Tony' Hernández - with his initials - 'TH'.

Court evidence/David Maris/Univision

Drug trafficker Víctor Hugo Díaz Morales, aka 'El Rojo' (Red), told the jury that 'Tony' Hernández sent drug packages with a logo bearing his initials - 'TH' - inspired by the fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger, according to Diaz Morales. When an image of the package was shown to the jury on a large screen, 'Tony' Hernandez reacted by shaking his head in disbelief. It was not clear if his reaction was an indication of his denial that the cocaine belonged to him, or if he regretted putting his name on the packages.

'El Rojo'

He admitted responsibility for 18 murders, including a 3-year-old.

Christine Cornell/Univision

Under cross examination by the defense, prosecution witness Víctor Hugo Díaz Morales, aka 'El Rojo', was bombarded with questions about his own crimes linked to drug trafficking and admitted to having murdered or ordered the murder of at least 18 people, including a three-year-old child. He often seemed uncomfortable and uncooperative, giving short answers. Hernandez's defense lawyer, Omar Malone, pressed him over his failure to initially reveal his dealings with 'Tony' Hernandez after he was arrested and began cooperating with the government. Díaz Morales said that at first he didn't tell everything he knew because "feared" the power of the Hernández family. Malone asked why someone with the blood of 18 murder victims on their hands could be capable of fear?

The narco ledgers

Some 20 supposed drug ledgers have been admitted as evidence in the case. Prosecutors say they implicate Tony Hernandez in cocaine smuggling.

Court evidence

The prosecution presented a series of notebooks with annotations of drug shipments that allegedly involve 'Tony' Hernández, and maybe also his brother, the president of Honduras. A Honduran counter-drug trafficking agent testified about 11 notebooks which he brought them with him from Honduras for his court appearance. Univision obtained a complete copy of the 350-pages of notebooks that were found on an alleged drug dealer detained in Honduras, Nery Orlando López Sanabria. Later, more supposed ledgers were presented belonging to another drug trafficker, Víctor Hugo Diaz Morales, who confessed that he trafficked 140 tons of cocaine with 'Tony' Hernandez.

What does President Hernandez say?

"This is crazy, 'Alice in Wonderland'" stuff.

David Adams/Univision

President Hernandez issued a statement in which he rejected the prosecutor's allegations saying it was a "100% false, absurd and ridiculous accusation ... this is Alice in Wonderland." In particular, he rejected the accusation that he received money from Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. The "brave government of President Hernández ... ended the reign of impunity [traffickers] enjoyed before 2014," he said in a statement. "Since 2010, as head of the National Congress, President Hernández has led a transnational anti-crime strategy that allowed the approval of more than 20 laws ... including extradition, the mechanism that drug traffickers fear most," he added.

Donald Trump and Juan Orlando Hernández

At a meeting in New York, Trump described his Honduran counterpart as a "fantastic" ally in the fight against illegal migration.

Twitter/@DHSMcaleenan

Just a week before the opening of the trial against 'Tony' Hernandez, Donald Trump met with Juan Orlando Hernández to sign an asylum agreement on September 25 in New York. Trump called President Hernandez a "fantastic" ally in his efforts to curb the migrant flow from Central America. But the revelations in the trial have painted a damaging image of Honduras as a virtual 'narco-state', which further complicates relations with the United States government.

What's next? Alexander Ardón

Former Honduran mayor, Alexander Ardón, is due to testify in the trial to making large donations of drug money to politicians.

Univision

One of the strongest potential witnesses against 'Tony' Hernández is Alexander Ardón, the former National Party mayor of El Paraíso, a cattle town in the department of Copan in western Honduras near the border with Guatemala. According to court documents, Ardón, 43, confessed to helping 'Tony' Hernández raise $2 million in drug money in 2009 for the presidential candidate of the National Party, Porfirio Lobo, and for then congressman Juan Orlando Hernández . In 2010, Ardón allegedly also agreed to help Juan Orlando Hernández bribe legislators with money from drugs to become President of the National Congress. Then, in 2013, Ardón also allegedly donated $1.5 million in proceeds from drug trafficking to Hernández's presidential campaign. Lobo and Hernández recognize Ardón was a political ally, but deny receiving any drug money.