New York: The son of the former president of Honduras, who was arrested in Haiti this week, appeared in New York court Friday charged with attempting to import cocaine, prosecutors said.
Fabio Lobo, son of Porfirio Lobo, was arrested on May 20 in a Haitian operation alongside the US Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the government of Honduras.
"As alleged, Fabio Lobo attempted to break US law by conspiring to traffic in cocaine. Being the son of a former public official, though, does not mean that you are above the law," Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
Lobo was arraigned before US Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox on Friday afternoon.
The charge against him carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Lobo`s father said he tried to raise his son correctly, but if Fabio is "innocent he will support him and if he is guilty he will be accountable to the law."
The former president led Honduras from 2010 to 2014, during which time he pledged to fight organized crime.
Current Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has launched an offensive against drug traffickers whom he holds responsible for the massive murder rate in the country.
Honduras is considered the most dangerous country in the world by the UN with a murder rate of 68 people per 100,000.
