United States says it destroyed Colombian drug-laden ship, Bogota condemns Trump's accusations

(Patria) - Donald Trump on Sunday called Colombian President Gustavo Petro an "illegal drug leader" and said payments to the South American nation would cease, while Defense Minister Pete Hegseth stated that US forces attacked a ship linked to a Colombian rebel group, Reuters reported.

Trump's comments marked a new low in relations between Bogota and Washington, which have deteriorated since Trump returned to office in January and his administration launched a series of attacks on ships allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean.

The US President stated on social media that the United States would stop large payments and subsidies to Colombia, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally, said Trump would soon announce "major tariffs" on the country.

Colombia currently pays a ten percent tariff on most imports to the United States, a baseline level that Trump has imposed on many countries.
Hegseth wrote on social media platform X that the Pentagon destroyed a ship and killed three people on Friday "in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility," which includes the Caribbean.

He said the ship was linked to the leftist rebel group National Liberation Army (ELN) and was involved in illegal drug trafficking, without offering evidence to support the claim.

Colombia condemns Trump's statements

"President of Colombia Gustavo Petro is an illegal drug leader who strongly encourages mass drug production, in large and small fields, throughout Colombia," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "The purpose of this drug production is to sell huge quantities of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and chaos," Trump wrote.

Colombia was once among the largest recipients of US aid in the Western Hemisphere, but the flow of money was abruptly reduced this year with the closure of USAID, the US government's humanitarian agency.

Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Trump's comments as offensive and a direct threat to its sovereignty, vowing to seek international support in defense of Petro and the country's autonomy.

"These accusations represent an extremely serious act and undermine the dignity of the President of Colombians," the statement read.

Strained relations

Last month, the United States revoked Petro's visa after he joined pro-Palestinian demonstrations in New York and called on US soldiers not to obey Trump's orders.

The US administration's deadly attacks on ships in the Caribbean have also angered Colombians. Many legal experts and human rights activists have condemned the series of military actions, with Amnesty International describing it as murder on the high seas.

Earlier this month, Petro said one of the attacks hit a Colombian ship, a claim the Trump administration denied.

Petro condemned the latest US attack, saying the ship belonged to a "humble family" and not the ELN. He also retaliated against Trump's remarks.

"Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the United States... but you are rude and ignorant towards Colombia," Petro responded on social media platform X. "Since I am not a businessman, I am even less of a drug trafficker. There is no greed in my heart."

Colombia is struggling with its long-standing drug problems. Last year, Petro pledged to tame coca-growing regions with massive social and military intervention, but the strategy has yielded little success.

In September, Trump designated countries like Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela among those that the United States believes have "demonstrably failed" to uphold anti-narcotics agreements over the past year.