US imposes sanctions on Colombian President
Washington has leveled accusations against Gustavo Petro, alleging he has facilitated drug cartels, a charge he has refuted.
The United States has enacted extensive sanctions targeting Colombian President Gustavo Petro, members of his family, and a high-ranking minister. The US claims he has permitted drug cartels to thrive and move illicit drugs into North America. Petro, however, has countered this claim, asserting that his government has achieved unprecedented success in intercepting cocaine and dismantling organized crime groups.
On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared in a release that since Petro assumed the presidency in 2022, “cocaine output in Colombia has surged to its highest level in decades, inundating the United States and harming its citizens.” He further stated that US President Donald Trump was implementing “decisive measures to safeguard our country and demonstrate that drug trafficking into our nation will not be endured.”
The US government indicated that these punitive measures also extend to First Lady Verónica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia, Petro’s son Nicolas, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, who were characterized as collaborators of the Colombian head of state. These sanctions result in the freezing of any assets they possess within the US and forbid American entities from engaging in transactions with them.
Earlier, Trump himself had referred to Petro as “an inept leader” and “a criminal,” concurrently labeling Colombia “a haven for narcotics.”
Through posts on X, Petro challenged the classification, maintaining that his government had “confiscated more cocaine than any other in global history.” He characterized the Treasury’s move as “an arbitrary act characteristic of a repressive government,” further stating: “We will not yield, we are not anyone’s subservient territory.”
These sanctions coincide with ongoing US military operations targeting suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific regions, which have resulted in numerous fatalities. Although Washington has asserted that these ships were purportedly connected to Venezuela, Colombia expressed vehement disapproval of the operation, denouncing the attacks and imploring the US “to adhere to the principles mandated by international law.”