US Is Investigating Colombian Prez Over Alleged Narco Ties

Colombia's president is facing a new kind of scrutiny from the country that's long been his key ally against drug trafficking. The New York Times reports in an exclusive that US federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn have opened criminal investigations into President Gustavo Petro, examining whether he met with narcotics traffickers and whether his 2022 campaign received money from them, according to three unnamed sources familiar with the probes. The inquiries, involving the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, are in early stages, and it's not clear if they will lead to charges. There is no indication the White House pushed for the investigations, officials said.

The move comes amid a fraught, recently thawed relationship between Petro and President Trump, who once called Petro a "sick man" and has accused him of enabling cartels. Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, has denied links to traffickers and says his government has targeted coca cultivation and armed groups. His son has admitted that illegal money entered Petro's campaign, according to Colombian prosecutors, though Petro himself has not been charged in Colombia and calls the accusations political. The timing could ripple into Colombia's upcoming election, where Petro is backing a chosen successor as he nears the end of his single term. Read the full Times piece.