In brief
The US has sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Petro for failing to address drug trafficking, impacting his family and key government officials. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated cocaine production in the country has surged under Petro's leadership, straining US-Colombia relations. Petro denies the allegations, asserting his long-standing fight against drug trafficking.
The US has placed sanctions on Colombia's left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb drug trafficking.
President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Sanctions have also been imposed on Colombia's Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, as well as Petro's wife and eldest son. They include barring them from accessing assets and properties they may have in the US.
Colombia was once a close ally of Washington's war on drugs, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars annually in military assistance. But Petro and Trump have clashed frequently since Trump's return to power.
Bessent said that since Petro, a former guerrilla, came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans. He added that Trump was taking strong action and would not tolerate drug trafficking into the US.
The Treasury stated Colombia was the world's top exporter of cocaine and poses a significant drug threat to the US.
In a separate statement on Friday, the state department indicated it would not certify Colombia's counter-narcotics efforts.
Petro denied the accusations, asserting he has been fighting drug trafficking for decades and has helped the US reduce its cocaine consumption. He characterized the sanctions as a paradox and vowed to continue his fight.
In recent weeks, the US military has ramped up operations in the southern Caribbean, targeting vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
Last week, Trump announced the suspension of payments and subsidies to Colombia following Petro's critique of US military actions against alleged drug vessels as an act of tyranny, alleging infringement on Colombian sovereignty.
Issuing sanctions against a head of state is unusual, but has been done in the past against leaders from countries like Russia, North Korea, and Venezuela.
