Bogotá/Washington D.C. - Escalating his "War on Drugs," former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, October 19 (local time), the cessation of U.S. anti-narcotics funding and subsidies to Colombia, one of the world's leading cocaine producers.

In a sharp rebuke delivered via his social media platform Truth Social, Trump asserted, "Colombian President Gustavo Petro, as the head of illegal narcotics, is strongly encouraging drug production across Colombia, both large-scale and small-scale."

Trump accused Petro of inaction despite receiving substantial U.S. aid, claiming, "Drugs have become the biggest industry in Colombia, and despite receiving massive U.S. aid and subsidies, President Petro has done nothing to stop it. This is a long-term fraud against the United States." He further warned, "The purpose of (Colombian) drug production is to sell vast quantities of drugs to the United States, causing death, destruction, and chaos."

Consequently, he declared, "Effective today, these subsidies, and any form of aid or subsidies, will no longer be provided to Colombia." This move halts financial support historically earmarked for economic development and drug eradication efforts in Colombia, which local media had previously estimated at around $500 million for anti-trafficking and cartel suppression.

Trump's statement included a direct warning: "The low-polling, highly unpopular leader Petro, who speaks disrespectfully of the United States, must immediately shut down these fields of death. Otherwise, the United States will shut them down, and it will not be in a nice way."

The confrontation comes as international observers note the ineffectiveness of President Petro's 2022 policy shift, which prioritized reducing developed nations' drug demand over aggressive military-style crackdowns on coca farmers. Data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicates that Colombian coca leaf cultivation increased by 10% in 2023, with potential pure cocaine production soaring by 53% to an estimated 2,664 tonnes.

President Petro retaliated on X (formerly Twitter), claiming Trump was "being misled by his inner circle and advisors" and that "the problem is with Trump, not the U.S." He insisted, "I am not a drug leader; I am the biggest enemy of 21st-century Colombian drug traffickers."

Amidst the diplomatic fallout, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revealed that the U.S. military had sunk a vessel belonging to Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels on October 17. Hegseth stated the strike, ordered by Trump, "eliminated three drug terrorists" and emphasized the U.S. military would pursue and "eliminate" Latin American drug cartels, branding them "the Al-Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere."

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