Washington( The COW News Digital) The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced a new wave of sanctions against Colombia, escalating tensions between Washington and Bogotá after President Donald Trump labeled the South American nation a “hub of narcotics trafficking.”
According to an official Treasury statement, the sanctions target Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his wife, son, and Interior Minister, placing them on Washington’s financial blacklist. The move effectively freezes their U.S.-based assets and restricts any financial transactions with American institutions.
The Treasury said the sanctions are part of ongoing anti-narcotics enforcement operations aimed at dismantling global drug networks. “The United States will not tolerate any government’s complicity in the narcotics trade,” the statement read.
The measures come just days after President Trump accused Colombia’s leadership of failing to curb drug production, calling Petro an “illicit drug leader.” The remarks sparked an immediate backlash from Bogotá, with Colombian officials describing the comments as “insulting and unacceptable.”
In response to the U.S. actions, President Gustavo Petro issued a defiant statement, vowing not to yield under pressure. “I will not take a single step back, and I will never kneel,” Petro said, accusing Washington of politicizing the global fight against narcotics.
The diplomatic fallout deepened earlier this week when Colombia recalled its ambassador from Washington, following Trump’s announcement of new trade restrictions and the suspension of U.S. aid. Colombia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Ambassador Daniel García Peña had returned to Bogotá “for consultations,” with additional measures expected soon.
According to Reuters, Trump’s sharp rhetoric has rattled financial markets in Colombia. On Monday, the Colombian peso weakened by 1.4%, trading at 3,889 pesos per U.S. dollar during early market sessions — reflecting investor uncertainty amid the growing rift with the United States.
The sanctions mark one of the most serious diplomatic confrontations between the two nations in recent years, potentially jeopardizing decades of U.S.-Colombia cooperation on counter-narcotics and security. Analysts warn that the move could isolate Washington further in Latin America, where Petro’s left-wing government has cultivated ties with other progressive leaders in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.
Despite the fallout, U.S. officials insist the sanctions are strictly law-enforcement measures, not politically motivated. However, diplomatic observers believe the crisis underscores how the war on drugs has reemerged as a central flashpoint in U.S.-Latin American relations.
