US sanctions Colombian President for role in "global illicit drug trade"

Washington DC [US], October 25 (ANI): The United States has imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro, accusing him of facilitating the global illicit drug trade, the Department of the Treasury stated. In addition to President Petro, several of his close associates, including his wife, his son, and a senior aide, have also been sanctioned.

According to a statement issued by the Department of the Treasury on Friday, its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the sanctions under the counternarcotics-related authorities.

According to the Treasury Department, the sanctions mean that all property and interests in property of the designated individuals within the US, or in the possession or control of US persons, are now blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Any entities owned, directly or indirectly, 50 per cent or more by the designated individuals are also subject to the same restrictions.

The department further stated that US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions involving the property or interests of sanctioned individuals unless specifically authorised by OFAC. Violations may result in civil or criminal penalties under US sanctions laws.

The sanctions were issued pursuant to Executive Order 14059, which targets foreign individuals and entities involved in the global narcotics trade.

"Today's action was taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, which targets foreign persons involved in the global illicit drug trade," the statement read.

"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," said US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

"President 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 country," he added.

Reacting strongly to the sanctions, President Petro described the move as "a complete paradox", arguing that Colombia has long been at the forefront of the global fight against narcotics.

"Fighting drug trafficking for decades and effectively has brought me this measure from the government of the society we helped so much to curb their cocaine consumption. A complete paradox, but not a step back and never on our knees," Petro said in a post on X.

Tensions between the Colombian President's administration and US President Donald Trump had been building for months, particularly after Washington increased its military operations in the southern Caribbean, as reported by CNN.

Petro has repeatedly condemned the US for conducting air and naval strikes on vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking, accusing American forces of "murder". He claimed that some of the targeted boats were carrying innocent Colombians.

Colombia has traditionally been one of Washington's closest allies in South America on matters of security and defence, CNN reported. In 2022, the Biden administration even granted the Andean nation the status of "major non-NATO ally".

The latest US sanctions came just days after Trump announced he was suspending all subsidies to the Latin American country, accusing it of being an "illegal drug leader" and of actively encouraging massive drug production across Colombia.

"President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia. It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and 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," the US President said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday.

"AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA," he added.

The US State Department also revoked Petro's visa following the conclusion of the UN General Assembly session last month. (ANI)

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