It continues to increase. This Friday, Donald Trump’s Administration imposed sanctions against the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, and his close circle, including the first lady, for alleged links to drug trafficking, within the framework of the tensions of recent days between both governments.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has included in its anti-narcotics ‘blacklist’, known as the Clinton list, ; to the first lady, Verónica Alcocer; to his son Nicolás Petro; and the Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stated that “since Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has skyrocketed to its highest level in decades, swamping the United States and poisoning Americans.” “Petro has allowed the growth of drug cartels and has refused to stop this activity,” he said in a statement.
Bessent’s office has asserted that Petro has “granted benefits to narcoterrorist organizations under the auspices of his ‘total peace’ plan, among other policies, which has led to record levels of coca cultivation and cocaine production.” According to him, the president’s “erratic behavior” has distanced Bogotá from his partners, especially after having “allied himself” with the Suns cartel and the “narco-terrorist regime of Nicolás Maduro.”
As for his son, Washington has explained that “he is considered his political heir” and recalled that he was arrested in 2023 on accusations of money laundering and illicit enrichment from drug trafficking to finance his father’s presidential campaign. While the judicial process progresses, Nicolás Petro is on conditional release.
US authorities have indicated that Benedetti, who has held several senior positions in the Colombian government, spoke in audio recordings leaked in 2023 about his involvement in campaign financing and obtaining votes for Petro. Regarding the first lady, it only mentions that a court annulled Petro’s “unconstitutional” designation to serve as ambassador “on a special mission.”
The measure implies that all assets located in the United States are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Additionally, any entity that is 50 percent or more owned by you is also blocked. It also prohibits transactions by U.S. citizens or in the United States involving property or interests of designated persons.
