Amid an ongoing verbal spat and back-and-forth between Washington and Bogotá, the United States on Friday announced extensive sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro, along with his family and a senior cabinet minister.
The Trump White House has accused the Colombian administration of enabling drug cartels and facilitating narcotics trafficking to North America, at a moment of immense US military build-up near Venezuela and Latin America.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that ever since Petro took office in 2022, “cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest level in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans.”
He hailed Trump’s “decisive action to protect our nation” which sends “a clear message that drug trafficking will not be tolerated.”
The sanctions also target First Lady Verónica del Socorro Alcocer García, Petro’s son Nicolás, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti – all alleged to be the Colombian leader’s “accomplices.”
American citizens and companies are now effectively barred from doing any business with these listed entities, and they will also see any assets held in the US frozen.
Petro has loudly denounced and rejected the accusations against his country, saying he’s long aggressively fought the significant drug trade in his country.
The NY Times notes that a rise in illegal drugs out of the country has been a trend which began before Petro took office, though the cocaine trade has continued to worsen under his leadership.
“The cultivation of coca, the base product in cocaine, has soared since Mr. Petro took office in 2022. It also soared under his predecessor, Iván Duque, a conservative and close ally of Washington Republicans,” the publication writes.
“In the CIA, we didn’t give a hoot about democracy. It was fine if a government was elected and would cooperate with us, but if it didn’t, then democracy wouldn’t mean a thing to us.”
-Former CIA Agent Philip Agee
‘In the CIA, we didn’t give a hoot about democracy. It was fine if a government was elected and would cooperate with us, but if it didn’t, then democracy wouldn’t mean a thing to us’
-Former CIA Agent Philip Agee
Democratically elected Presidents overthrown via CIA-backed coups… pic.twitter.com/OVkMAKHGbF
— Going Underground (@GUnderground_TV) October 24, 2025
The NY Times reviews further:
Mr. Petro, a leftist, is one of few leaders in Latin America who have been vocal in their criticism of Mr. Trump’s decision to bomb boats carrying people his administration says are drug traffickers. The bombings have killed dozens of people, and Mr. Petro has said that Colombians have been among them and has accused the United States of committing murder.
Mr. Trump has responded by calling Mr. Petro “an illegal drug leader” and said that he would cut off aid to Colombia. About $377 million was designated to Colombia in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the Congressional Research Service. About a third of that money is meant for law enforcement and narcotics control.
But when it comes to the many decades-long so-called ‘war on drugs’ – there’s plenty of blame to go around. The CIA has at times even participated in it at times, to raise funds for the Nicaragua Contras in the 1980s, for example.
Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to record high rates, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans. President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity. Today, President Trump is…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) October 24, 2025
Days ago the US for the first time attacked alleged drug smuggling boats on the Pacific side of South America for the first time, suggesting these operations could geographically expand at any time.
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