On October 19th, President Trump announced the termination of aid to Colombia, accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an illegal drug leader. The same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Hagsees announced that U.S. forces had struck an illegal drug trafficking vessel belonging to a Colombian terrorist organization last Friday.
President Trump posted on his social media platform, “Truth Social,” stating that Petro is an illegal drug leader responsible for widespread drug production across Colombia. He criticized Colombia for turning a blind eye to the massive drug production despite receiving substantial funds and subsidies from the U.S., which he described as Colombia’s long-term extortion of the U.S.
“Drug production has become Colombia’s largest industry, while Petro has disregarded this issue. From today onwards, Colombia will no longer receive this aid from the U.S. or any other form of subsidy. The country’s purpose in producing large quantities of drugs is to sell them to the U.S., causing death, destruction, and chaos,” Trump declared.
He warned President Petro to shut down the drug production sites immediately, or the U.S. would do it for him without mercy.
In response, Petro denied involvement in illegal drug trade, accusing Trump of being misled by his inner circle and advisors. He criticized Trump for his rudeness and ignorance.
U.S. Defense Secretary Hagsees mentioned that last Friday, at the direction of President Trump, the U.S. military struck a vessel belonging to the Colombian terrorist organization ELN, which was operating within the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.
According to Hagsees, the vessel was carrying a large quantity of drugs and was sailing along a known drug trafficking route. There were three male drug trafficking terrorists on board. In the strike operation, the three terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military personnel were injured.
“These drug trafficking groups, like the ‘Al-Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere,’ use violence, murder, and terrorism to impose their will, threatening our national security and poisoning our people. The U.S. military will treat these organizations like terrorists, hunting them down and eliminating them just like members of the ‘Al-Qaeda’ group,” Hagsees stated.