NYT: US prosecutors investigate Colombia’s president Petro over possible drug ties

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, a former critic of President Trump, is under criminal investigation by at least two U.S. federal prosecutors’ offices, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The inquiries, led by the Manhattan and Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s offices, involve prosecutors specialising in international narcotics and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, Caliber.Az reports via The New York Times (NYT).

The investigations focus on whether Petro met with drug traffickers or if his presidential campaign solicited donations from them. They are in the early stages, and it is unclear whether they will result in criminal charges. Officials have indicated that the White House did not initiate the inquiries.

Relations between Petro and Trump have been fraught in the past. During his first year in office, Petro blocked U.S. military flights, faced visa revocation, and was targeted by sanctions from the Treasury Department. Trump has repeatedly criticised Petro, calling him a “sick man” and threatening Colombia with tariffs over drug-related disputes.

Despite tensions, the two leaders appeared to reach a brief détente in January after the U.S. military raid in Caracas that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Petro and Trump held a phone call, and Petro subsequently visited the White House.

Petro has consistently denied any links to drug trafficking, citing efforts to reduce coca cultivation and combat armed trafficking groups. Colombian authorities have reported that illicit funds, including through Petro’s son, entered his 2022 campaign, but no charges have been brought against the president.

Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, will leave office later this year and has endorsed a successor. The U.S. has previously waited until leaders left office before pursuing charges, as seen with former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was extradited on drug charges in 2022 and later pardoned by Trump.

By Aghakazim Guliyev