Ex-president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison for cocaine trafficking

A court in New York on Wednesday sentenced former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández to 45 years in prison after he was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.

Anti-Hernández protesters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of the sentencing with placards decrying the former head of state's crimes.

The sentence, which also included an $8 million fine, was less than the life imprisonment that prosecutors had sought —although Hernández's age, 55, means he may die behind bars.