What was Honduras ex-president convicted of and why has Trump pardoned him?

Juan Orlando Hernández, once called the key figure in a drug trafficking scheme that flooded America with cocaine, walked free after the pardon.

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Trump has said that Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison by a US court, is a victim of political persecution and has been "treated very harshly and unfairly".

The pardon has surprised some experts, given the seriousness of the crime and the administration's promised crackdown on illegal drugs flowing into the US.

Here is a look at Hernández's political career and crimes, and why Trump may have pardoned him.

Hernández first ran for president of Honduras, a country of 10 million people, in 2013 as the candidate for the conservative National Party. He ran again in 2017, in an election marred by fraud allegations and violent protests.