Colombia’s Petro invites Trump to witness demolition of cocaine lab in response to attack threat

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has extended an invitation to former US President Donald Trump to visit Colombia and witness the dismantling of cocaine production facilities. This comes after Trump stated that any nation exporting drugs to the United States could face military action, emphasizing that the warning was not limited to Venezuela.

During a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Trump specifically criticized Colombia, claiming the country was producing cocaine for the US market. I hear Colombia is making cocaine. They have production plants, and then they sell us their cocaine, Trump said. Anyone supplying our country with drugs is subject to attack, he added.

In response, Petro took to social media, highlighting Colombias anti-drug efforts. He noted that his government had destroyed 18,400 cocaine laboratories without missiles and invited Trump to observe the process firsthand. Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump, Petro wrote. Ill show you how we dismantle one laboratory every 40 minutes to prevent cocaine from reaching the US.

Petro also cautioned against threatening Colombias sovereignty, warning that such actions could be seen as an act of war. He urged respect for the nations diplomatic history and criticized previous statements from Trump that implied his involvement in the drug trade. Colombia has played a major role in preventing thousands of tonnes of cocaine from reaching North America, Petro stated.

Despite these efforts, Colombia remains the main source of cocaine entering the United States. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, 84% of cocaine seized in 2024 originated in Colombia.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has deployed significant military forces in Latin America under the stated goal of stopping drug trafficking from Venezuela. The operations included missile strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, resulting in at least 83 deaths. Trump made his remarks about potential expanded attacks on drug-exporting countries while seated alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faced scrutiny for a September double-tap strike that killed survivors from a previous US attack on a Caribbean vessel.

Legal analysts suggested that the secondary strike could constitute a war crime. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have pledged to investigate the incidents. Hegseth defended the operation but stated that he only became aware hours later that US Admiral Frank Bradley had ordered the second strike. The Pentagon has provided no evidence that the victims were involved in drug trafficking, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the US of using anti-drug operations as a pretext to attempt to remove him from office.

Author: Sophia Brooks