 U.S. officials had once praised him as a key partner against narco-trafficking in the region. Instead, Hernandez took millions of dollars from violent transnational drug cartels, allowing them to operate with impunity, even lending the support of Honduran police and military forces. Hernandez maintained his innocence even at sentencing. The former president is 55 years old, so the 45-year sentence amounts to life in prison. Quill Lawrence, NPR News, New York.