US Imposes Sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro Over Drug Trafficking Concerns

Mon Dec 01 2025 01:02:46 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The United States has enacted sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro, citing his administration's failure to curb rampant drug trafficking in the country. This move also extends to several members of his family and key officials.

In a significant diplomatic move, the US has sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Petro, attributing the actions to his government's inability to combat drug trafficking effectively. The sanctions, which also affect Petro's family and his Interior Minister, signal a major shift in US-Colombia relations amid escalating concerns over cocaine production and trafficking. US officials claim that Colombia has seen a dramatic rise in cocaine output, while Petro contends he has been proactively fighting drug activities. This situation underscores the deteriorating ties between the two nations, particularly following former President Trump's recent return to power.

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 stated 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 reported that Colombia is the world's top exporter of cocaine, posing a significant drug threat to the US. Additionally, the state department announced it would not certify Colombia's counter-narcotics efforts.

Petro denied the accusations, asserting via a post on X that he has been combating drug trafficking for decades and has aided the US in reducing its cocaine consumption. He remarked, A complete paradox - but not one step back, and never on our knees.

Recently, the US military increased operations in the Caribbean, targeting vessels suspected of carrying drugs without providing evidence. Last week, Trump announced the suspension of payments and subsidies to Colombia following Petro's condemnation of US airstrikes on drug vessels as an act of tyranny.\p>

Sanctioning a head of state is uncommon but has been applied to leaders of countries such as Russia, North Korea, and Venezuela in the past.