The United States has announced sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb the country’s powerful drug cartels. The U.S. Treasury Department said the move was part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to combat international narcotics networks that “threaten U.S. security.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Petro had “allowed drug cartels to flourish” and refused to take effective action against them. The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets linked to Petro, his family members, and key officials, including Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, and bar American citizens from conducting business with them.
In response, President Petro denounced the decision as politically motivated, calling it an act of “arbitrariness typical of an oppressive regime.” He defended his record, claiming that his administration has seized more cocaine than any previous government and significantly slowed coca cultivation. Petro also accused Washington of punishing him for opposing U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza and for speaking out against extrajudicial killings by American forces in the Caribbean.
The rare move to sanction a sitting head of state places Petro alongside leaders from Russia, Venezuela, and North Korea who have faced similar penalties. The development marks a major escalation in U.S.-Colombia relations, once considered one of Washington’s strongest partnerships in Latin America.