The Trump administration leveled sanctions against leftist leader Gustavo Petro over drug trade allegations. It comes as the US military escalates a campaign against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea.
Gustavo Petro, seen speaking here, in a suit and tie (2024)
Petro has been critical of Trump’s deployment of US military vessels to the Caribbean
The US accuses Petro of failing to stop drug production in the country. His wife and eldest son were sanctioned with him, as was Interior Minister Armando Benedetti.
“President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” said Bessent. “President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation.”
It is the latest escalation in US-Colombian relations as US President Donald Trump unleashes the US military in the hemisphere; deploying troops to target purported drug cartels, as well as threatening invasions and covert operations in Latin America.
Colombia’s President Petro has accused the US of ignoring international law to murder innocent people in its drug war.
