The United States announced sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Friday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and one of its longtime Latin American allies. The move comes after President Donald Trump accused Petro of failing to stop the flow of cocaine into the US.
Relations between the US and several Latin American nations have grown increasingly strained in recent weeks. Washington has intensified military operations in the southern Caribbean, targeting vessels in international waters and it claims- without providing evidence- are transporting narcotics.
Earlier this week, Trump branded Petro an “illegal drug leader” after the Colombian president accused the US of committing “murder” through those military strikes.
Petro, whose presidency is set to end in 10 months, has consistently opposed such military actions. His administration has sought to end Colombia’s 6-decade-long internal conflict through peace and surrender agreements with rebel and criminal groups, though the results have been limited.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, “Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the US and poisoning Americans.
“President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity. 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 has strongly rejected these accusations, insisting his government has achieved record cocaine seizures and that coca crop expansion- the raw source of cocaine- has declined every year since 2021.
He wrote on X Friday afternoon, “What the US Treasury says is a lie. My government did not increase cocaine, it did the opposite, my government has seized more cocaine than in the whole history of the world.”
The Colombian leader, who gained recognition as a senator for exposing links between paramilitary groups and politicians involved in drug trafficking, described the sanctions as “a complete paradox.” He said he has hired a US lawyer to contest the move and told thousands of supporters in Bogota on Friday evening that he holds no assets in the United States.
Although rare, sanctions against a sitting head of state are not without precedent. Petro now joins a small group that includes the leaders of Russia, Venezuela, and North Korea.
The US also sanctioned Petro’s wife, his son, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti under laws targeting individuals allegedly involved in the global drug trade.
On X, Benedetti said he had been punished merely for defending Petro, claiming the decision demonstrated that the US anti-drug campaign was a “sham.”
Former lawmaker Nicolas Petro, who already faces corruption charges in Colombia, wrote he was sanctioned “for being my father’s son,” emphasising that his case has no link to drug trafficking.
The sanctions freeze any US assets belonging to those named and prohibit American citizens and companies from doing business with them.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, “President Trump has been clear that President Petro better close up these killing fields immediately, or the US will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
