Washington: The United States announced on Friday sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of refusing to combat drug trafficking.

According to Qatar News Agency, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, "President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity. Today, President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation."

The sanctions extend to Colombian President Gustavo Petro's wife, Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia, his son Nicolas, and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti.

In response to the US accusations and sanctions, the Colombian president posted on the X platform that he has sought to combat drug trafficking for decades. He remarked, "Fighting drug trafficking for decades and effectively has brought me this measure from the government of the society we helped so much to curb their cocaine consumption."