US designates Colombia country ‘failing to cooperate in drug war’

The United States has officially appointed Colombia as a “clearly failed” country in supporting its obligations to control drug smuggling, but stopped cutting off American aid to Colombia.

Every year, the United States government is officially witnessing whether many countries are fully cooperating with the US -led CONTERNANARCOTIC efforts, and those that ignore it risked by reducing its American financing.

On Monday, the Trump administration said that the production of cocaine in Colombia has risen to high records at all under its left -wing president, Gustavo Petro, who was denied by the Colombian leader.

In response, the Colombian government said it would stop buying weapons from the United States.

Interior Minister Armando Benditi told the local radio that his government would stop buying US weapons “from this moment.”

Other countries that the United States said have failed to achieve their goals are Afghanistan, Bolivia, Myanmar and Venezuela.

Colombia has been added to the list for the first time since 1997.

This step is likely to increase sour relations between its left -wing government and the Trump administration.

President Petro moved to social media to respond to the United States’ claim that during his time in the office, the region planted with coca shrubs and that cocaine production had reached record levels.

Coca leaves are the main component in cocaine and Colombia for a long time, the supreme product of the illegal drug.

A survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNLOC) found that Bush Coca cultivation increased by 10 % in 2023. The numbers are scheduled to be launched for 2024 next month.

But Petro insisted that during the Ivan Duque government, his predecessor was in his post, from 2018 to 2022, that the region planted with Coca witnessed great increases.

According to the figures issued by the Colombian presidency, a record of 1764 tons of cocaine was seized by the government security forces between August 2022, when Petro came to his position and November 2024. drug attacks continued at a high level in 2025.

Petro also said that for the decrease in coca cultivation, what was required was the demand for cocaine to decline in the United States and Europe.

On the other hand, the United States has totally blamed Bab Petro, saying that the president’s peace speaks with many armed groups – funded by drug trafficking – hindered the battle against drugs.

“His failed attempts to search for accommodations with Narco-Terrorist groups are just worsened,” The presidential determination said to the US Congress.

The document continues to praise the “skill and courage” of the security forces in Colombia in the face of criminal groups.

Then she concluded that “Colombia’s failure to meet drug control obligations over the past year only settles with its political leadership.”

However, it leaves the door open to the rehabilitation of Colombia if its government “takes more aggressive measures to eliminate Coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking.”

Although the speech that comes out of Washington clearly angered President Petro, his government will also feel comfortable because re -discrimination did not lead to a reduction in the flow of American aid, says BBC News in Bogota, Jose Carlos Koito.

Colombia is equivalent at a time when President Trump made the battle against “Narco-Terrorists” a priority.

Announced Monday The US military has destroyed a drug ship equipped with Venezuelie In international waters in South Caribian.

Trump said that three people were killed in the strike.

He added that the United States has recorded evidence that boats belong to the Narco-Terrorist groups, but it has not yet provided this evidence.

With additional reports by the BBC specialist, Latin America, Luis Vagardo