BREAKING: U.S. Sanctions Colombian President Gustavo Petro and His Inner Circle
Petro called the move paradoxical in a post on X Friday afternoon.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury slapped sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of enabling the international drug trade and allowing narcotics production in Colombia to reach record levels. The sanctions also target several people close to Petro, including his wife, son, and a senior political ally.
The move comes as tensions flare between President Trump and Petro. The Colombian president has criticized U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean belonging to alleged drug traffickers. In a recent social media post, Petro accused American officials of committing murder by killing who he believes was “an innocent fisherman” and violating the territorial integrity of Colombia in carrying out the strikes.
The Trump administration fired back at the accusations this week, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling Petro “unhinged.”
On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions against Petro and his inner circle reflect Washington’s concern over Colombia’s expanding role in global cocaine trafficking. “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” Bessent said. “Today, 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.”
Petro responded to news of the sanctions, carried out through the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In a post on X, the Colombian president spoke of his actions to curb drug trafficking in his country, calling the move by the Trump administration “toda una paradoja,” or “quite a paradox.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated