US sanctions Colombian president
Shafaq News – Washington / Bogota
The United States sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Petro late Friday, accusing him of enabling cocaine production and obstructing joint anti-narcotics operations.
According to a statement from the Treasury Department, the sanctions freeze any US assets linked to Petro, his family, and Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco, and bar American entities from doing business with them. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited Colombia’s cocaine output, which has surged to record levels since Petro took office in 2022.
Petro rejected the accusations as “politically motivated lies,” saying his government achieved record cocaine seizures and reduced coca cultivation. Speaking in Bogota, he stressed that he holds no US assets and will challenge the sanctions in court.
Esto que dice el Tesoro de EEUU es mentira. Los cultivos de hoja de coca crecieron fue en el gobierno de Duque hasta alcanzar 230.000 hectáreas, en mi gobierno después de tasas de crecimiento anual de 42% en 2024, he logrado disminuir esa tasas al 13%,en 2022,al 9% en 2023y al 3%… https://t.co/HDh5iY14S3
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 24, 2025
He now joins a short list of sanctioned world leaders, including those of Venezuela and North Korea.
The move comes amid expanded US interdiction operations in the Caribbean, where authorities have seized record cocaine shipments bound for North America this year.
