The escalating feud between the US and Colombia hit a new high as the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his Interior Minister, Armando Benedetti, accusing them of aiding drug traffickers.
The sanctions follow President Donald Trump’s decision to “decertify” Colombia as a reliable anti-narcotics partner.
US Accusations:
- Cocaine production in Colombia has “exploded to record high rates” under Petro’s administration.
- Petro has provided “benefits” to narco-terrorist organizations.
- The designation effectively freezes their US-based assets and bans business dealings with Americans.
Petro Hits Back: President Petro immediately denounced the sanctions as “a complete paradox.”
- He argues he has spent decades combating drug trafficking and effectively reducing cocaine growth rates.
- Petro stated that fighting the drug trade brought him this measure from the society that Colombia helped “so much to curb their cocaine consumption.”
- He vowed to contest the action, saying he will never be “on our knees.”
Deepening Conflict: The sanctions escalate a broader war of words. Petro has labeled recent US missile strikes on alleged drug boats as a “war crime,” claiming they killed innocent civilians and arguing that the US should target the “bosses of the business,” not just its workers.
President Trump, who has called Colombia “a drug den” and Petro a “lousy thug,” warned that US operations “won’t stop until the supply lines are completely destroyed.” Petro, referencing his past as a member of the M-19 guerrilla movement, has warned that any US incursion into Colombian territory would be “an act of aggression.”
