""Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "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.""
"Relations between the U.S. and Colombia, long-standing allies, have grown increasingly tense in recent months as the Trump administration levied allegations against Petro and his left-wing government and launched attacks on alleged drug smuggling boats, without providing evidence to back its claims. In September, the U.S. State Department revoked Petro's U.S. visa, accusing him of urging "U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence" during remarks at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York."
The U.S. Treasury imposed personal sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his wife Veronica, son Nicolas, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti for failing demonstrably to stop illegal drug production. The Treasury accused Petro of allowing drug cartels to flourish as cocaine production rose to multidecade highs, sending drugs into the United States. The Trump administration revoked Petro's U.S. visa and decertified Colombia as a partner in antidrug efforts. U.S. strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats and accusations against Petro intensified tensions. Petro accused the U.S. of attacking a Colombian fishing boat that resulted in a death.
Read at The Washington Post
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]