US Sanctions Colombian President, Supporters for Failing to Stop Drug Trafficking
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, president of Colombia, for actions that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said have allowed drug cartels and traffickers to "flourish." OFAC also sanctioned Gustavo Petro’s eldest son, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos, who is considered to be his political heir; First Lady Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia; and Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda, who has been appointed by Petro to multiple high-ranking positions within the Colombian government.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Treasury said Petro has provided "narco-terrorist organizations with benefits under the auspices of his 'total peace' plan, among other policies, which have led to record highs of coca cultivation and cocaine production." It also said Petro has "allied himself with the narco-terrorist regime of Nicolas Maduro Moros and the Cartel de Los Soles."
Bessent said on Oct. 24 that Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity. Today, President [Donald] Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation.”
Petro suggested the same day that he will challenge the designation. "My lawyer in my defense will be Dany Kovalik from the USA," he said on social media, according to an unofficial translation. "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."
The announcement came days after Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said he is working with Treasury to sanction Petro (see 2510230020).