Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was defiant as he received a 45-year prison sentence in New York for conspiring with drug traffickers over more than a decade, ensuring over 400 tons of cocaine reached the United States.

Judge P. Kevin Castel also fined him $8 million, warning that the sentence should serve as a message to those who abuse power and believe they are above the law.

Hernández, convicted by a Manhattan federal jury in March after a closely watched trial in Honduras, maintained his innocence during sentencing, claiming unjust accusations.

Despite his assertions, Judge Castel criticized Hernández’s portrayal of himself as an anti-drug crusader, citing trial evidence that proved otherwise, ABC News has reported.

Describing Hernández as a “two-faced politician hungry for power,” the judge highlighted his protection of select drug traffickers while in office.

Hernández, who served two terms as president, left the courtroom with assistance, facing a sentence shorter than prosecutors’ life imprisonment recommendation.

Written by B.C. Begley