US imposes extensive sanctions on Colombian leader
(MENAFN) The United States has imposed extensive sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, members of his family, and a senior government minister, accusing the administration of enabling drug cartels and facilitating narcotics trafficking to North America, according to reports. Petro rejected the allegations, highlighting his government’s record in seizing drugs and dismantling criminal networks.
In a statement on Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that since Petro assumed 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 is taking “strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation.”
The sanctions also target First Lady Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia, Petro’s son Nicolas, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, described as the Colombian leader’s accomplices. The measures freeze any assets they hold in the US and prohibit American entities from engaging with them.
Trump had previously criticized Petro, labeling him “a lousy leader” and “a thug,” and calling Colombia “a drug den.”
Petro responded on social media, asserting that his administration has “seized more cocaine than any in the entire history of the world.” He described the Treasury’s action as “an arbitrariness typical of an oppressive regime,” adding, “We do not kneel, we are not a colony of anyone.”
The sanctions follow US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific that reportedly killed dozens of people. While Washington linked the boats to Venezuela, Colombia condemned the operations and called on the US “to respect the norms dictated by international law.”
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