Colombia President Gustavo Petro accused the United States on Saturday of violating his country’s sovereignty. This accusation followed a US military strike that reportedly killed a fisherman, as US President Donald Trump confirmed that US forces conducted the strike as part of their ongoing campaign against “narcoterrorists.”
Trump has launched an unprecedented military campaign aimed at disrupting the flow of drugs from Latin America to the United States. While Washington claims its operations have significantly impacted drug trafficking, it has not provided evidence that the individuals killed, at least 27 so far, were smuggling drugs.
Fisherman’s Death Sparks Outrage
President Petro expressed his outrage on X, stating, “US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in our territorial waters,” emphasizing that fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no connections to drug traffickers and was simply engaged in fishing. Carranza reportedly died in a September strike by US forces while fishing in the Caribbean, with Video testimony from his family, shared by Petro, corroborating this account.
Experts assert that such summary killings are illegal, even if they target confirmed narcotics traffickers, as Petro noted, “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal on,” referring to the incident that led to Carranza’s death, adding, “We await explanations from the US government.”
US Response and Ongoing Operations
On Saturday, Trump announced that the United States would return two suspected drug traffickers to Ecuador and Colombia, following a military strike on their “drug-smuggling submarine” in the Caribbean, which resulted in the deaths of two others. Trump stated, “It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE navigating towards the United States,” claiming the vessel loaded with fentanyl and other drugs.
Petro confirmed that the Colombian suspect had been repatriated and would face prosecution, saying, “We are glad he is alive, and he will be prosecuted according to the law.” The 34-year-old Colombian returned in serious condition, according to the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti reported, “He arrived with brain trauma, sedated, drugged, and breathing with a ventilator.”
Escalating Tensions in the Caribbean
Since September, US strikes have targeted at least six vessels, primarily speedboats, in the Caribbean, with reports suggesting that some of these vessels originated from Venezuela. However, Washington has not disclosed the departure point of the alleged drug-smuggling submarine involved in the latest strike.
Drug traffickers have long used semi-submersibles, constructed in clandestine jungle shipyards, to transport cocaine from South America, particularly Colombia, to Central America or Mexico, typically via the Pacific Ocean.
Colombia’s government has consistently criticized the US military campaign, as Petro called last month for criminal proceedings against Trump at the United Nations due to the strikes. The ongoing tensions between Colombia and the US highlight the complexities of international drug trafficking and sovereignty issues.
