United States Announces: Sanctions Imposed on Two Presidents!

The U.S. Department of Defense stated on the 24th that U.S. forces sank another "narco-boat" in international waters of the Caribbean Sea overnight. Its spokesperson, Sean Parnell, announced on the same day that the U.S. military is deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, i.e., the waters around Latin America. This deployment will "enhance and strengthen the U.S. military's existing capabilities to counter drug trafficking, weaken, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations."

Colombian President Petro condemned the U.S. actions on the 24th as a "complete paradox." Petro stated that for decades, Colombia has effectively combated drug trafficking and strived to help American society reduce cocaine consumption, only to be sanctioned by the U.S. government. He said he has hired American lawyers to defend him and will not retreat one step.

Colombian President Petro: Today they included me in the so-called U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control list because I revealed to the Colombian people a CIA-supported plan—to conduct communications surveillance within Colombia, bypassing the law. We must learn from this. We must not respond to the current U.S. government by kneeling; we must respond with firmness, as others have done, taking to the streets to defend the people's rights, the right to democracy, free from tyrannical rule.

The U.S. Treasury Department issued a statement on the 24th, stating that its Office of Foreign Assets Control, pursuant to anti-narcotics laws, has imposed sanctions on Petro, his wife, eldest son, and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, freezing their assets and related financial services in the U.S.

The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 24th, strongly condemning the U.S. actions and calling the sanctions "unjustified."

Colombia was once a traditional ally of the United States in Latin America, but bilateral relations have recently become strained. The U.S. recently attacked several vessels in the Caribbean Sea, including Colombian vessels, under the pretext of "combating drug trafficking." Besides announcing the suspension of aid, U.S. President Trump also threatened to impose additional tariffs on Colombia.