DEA names Colombian president 'priority target' as US prosecutors probe ties to drug traffickers - AP News

U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Colombian President Gustavo Petro had financial or operational ties to drug traffickers, according to sources familiar with the probe. The investigation represents a significant diplomatic concern, as Petro has positioned himself as a left-wing reformer focused on ending Colombia's war on drugs through crop substitution rather than military eradication. Any credible evidence linking Petro to trafficking organizations could complicate U.S.-Colombia relations and undermine his stated policy agenda in a country that remains one of the world's largest cocaine producers. The investigation's scope and timeline remain unclear, and it's unknown whether Petro himself is a target or merely a subject of the inquiry. Such a probe, if confirmed, would mark an extraordinary moment in bilateral relations between Washington and one of its key South American allies.