The United States administration on Friday (October 24) imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family and a member of his government over allegations of their involvement in the drug trade, further straining relations between the two countries and prompting a sharp response from the Colombian president.
The US imposed sanctions on Gustav Petr and his family, accusing him of refusing to stop the flow of cocaine into the US.
After the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Colombian president and his family, he lashed out at the US, noting that the sanctions came from a company his country had helped curb cocaine use.
In his defiant response to the sanctions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said: “The fight against the drug trade for decades and effectively brought me this measure from the government of a company that we have helped so much to reduce their cocaine consumption.”
He also said the sanctions were not a “step backwards”.
“A complete paradox, but not a step back and never on your knees,” wrote Gustavo Petro on social networks.
Why did the US impose sanctions on Colombia Prez?
Sanctions were imposed on Gustav Peter; his wife Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia; his son, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos; and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Alberto Benedetti.
In announcing the sanctions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to its highest level in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans.
“Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity. President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and making it clear that we will not tolerate the smuggling of drugs into our nation,” Bessent said.
The move heightens the growing clash between Donald Trump and Gustavo Petr, particularly over deadly US airstrikes on alleged drug-carrying ships off South America.
In justifying the sanctions, the US said that “cocaine from Colombia is often purchased by Mexican cartels, who then smuggle it into the United States across the southern border.”
