The Drug Enforcement Administration has designated Colombian President Gustavo Petro as a priority target while federal prosecutors investigate allegations he solicited bribes from drug traffickers to block their extradition to the United States.

Federal Investigation Intensifies

Prosecutors in Brooklyn and Manhattan have questioned drug traffickers about ties to Petro, specifically examining claims that his representatives requested bribes at La Picota prison in exchange for preventing extradition. The DEA reserves the priority target designation for suspects deemed to have a significant impact on the drug trade. Federal prosecutors declined to comment on the ongoing inquiry, which remains in early stages with no charges filed.

Petro denied all accusations and claimed American legal proceedings would dismantle what he called false allegations from the Colombian far right. Colombia’s embassy in Washington dismissed the reports as unverified and anonymous, stating the insinuations have no legal or factual basis. The embassy downplayed the preliminary law enforcement investigations in a formal statement released Friday.

Money Laundering Allegations Surface

Investigation records cite a 2024 interview with an unnamed source who alleged Petro uses former campaign aides and officials from state-run oil company Ecopetrol to launder presidential funds into foreign countries for his use after leaving office. The probe also examines Petro’s brother, Juan Fernando Petro, who faces allegations of secret negotiations with imprisoned drug traffickers regarding extradition protection in exchange for disarmament agreements.

Background and Political Context

Petro, a former rebel leader with the 19th of April Movement, won office promising to reduce fossil fuel dependence and address poverty. The disbanded guerrilla group he belonged to has long faced suspicions of accepting money from Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel during its 1985 Supreme Court siege, which killed several guerrillas and approximately half the court’s magistrates. Petro did not participate in that attack, and group leaders have consistently denied cartel connections. Colombian authorities have investigated Petro family members for possible criminal activities for years. The White House has had no role in the federal investigations, according to sources familiar with the matter.