Colombia’s Petro invites Trump to witness cocaine lab demolitions
Colombian President Gustavo Petro extended an invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit Colombia and participate in the destruction of cocaine laboratories, following Trump’s warning that any country trafficking drugs into the United States could face military action. Trump specifically mentioned Colombia during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, saying the country produces cocaine that is sold into the US.
“I hear Colombia, the country of Colombia, is making cocaine. They have cocaine manufacturing plants, oK, and then they sell us their cocaine,” Trump said. “Anybody that’s doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack,” News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Petro responded swiftly on social media, highlighting that Colombia had destroyed 18,400 cocaine laboratories “without missiles.”
“Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump,” Petro wrote. “Come with me, and I’ll show you how they are destroyed, one laboratory every 40 minutes, to prevent cocaine from reaching the US.”
The Colombian president also warned against threatening his country’s sovereignty, calling such threats a declaration of war that “will awaken a Jaguar.” He urged Trump not to undermine two centuries of diplomatic relations, noting that the US leader had previously slandered him by implying involvement in the drug trade.
“If there is a country that has helped stop thousands of tonnes of cocaine so that North Americans do not consume it, it is Colombia,” Petro added.
Despite these efforts, Colombia remains the primary source of cocaine entering the United States. The US Drug Enforcement Administration reported that 84 percent of the cocaine seized in 2024 originated from Colombia.
Trump’s administration has recently deployed a significant military presence in Latin America under the pretext of curbing drug flows from Venezuela. Missile strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea have killed at least 83 people. Trump made his comments about expanding attacks while seated next to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faces scrutiny over a so-called “double-tap” strike in September that killed two survivors of a previous US attack on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel.
Legal experts have warned that the second strike, targeting survivors clinging to the wreckage, may constitute a war crime. Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have pledged to investigate the circumstances of the killings.
Hegseth defended the strike, stating that he observed the initial attack in real time but was unaware of survivors or the subsequent deadly strike until hours later. According to Hegseth, US Admiral Frank Bradley, head of Special Operations Command, had authorized the secondary strike.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the US of using anti-drug operations as a cover to attempt regime change.
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