Washington has accused Gustavo Petro of enabling drug cartels, a claim he has denied
The US has imposed sweeping sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family, and a senior minister, accusing him of allowing drug cartels to flourish and traffic narcotics to North America. Petro rejected the accusation, saying his administration has made record progress in seizing cocaine and dismantling criminal networks.
In a statement on Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that since Petro took office in 2022, “cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans.” He added that US President Donald Trump was taking “strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation.”
Washington said the penalties also target First Lady Verónica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia, Petro’s son Nicolas, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, whom it described as the Colombian leader’s accomplices. The sanctions freeze any assets they may hold in the US and prohibit American entities from dealing with them.
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