Colombian President Gustavo Petro has denounced US airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean as “an act of tyranny,” warning that American officials could face criminal proceedings if Colombians were among the 17 killed since the campaign began this month.
“Why launch a missile if you could simply stop the boat and arrest the crew? That’s what one would call murder,” Petro told the BBC in an interview on Wednesday in New York, where world leaders are attending the United Nations General Assembly. “There should be zero deaths in stopping speedboats believed to be smuggling drugs. No one has ever died before. There is no need to kill anyone.”
The US operation, personally championed by President Donald Trump, has targeted vessels in international waters, particularly off Venezuela. Trump has claimed the strikes are necessary to halt fentanyl and other narcotics from reaching US shores. His administration alleged that members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang were on the first destroyed vessel, though that assertion remains disputed.
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Legal scholars and Democratic lawmakers have questioned the campaign’s legality, citing international human rights standards. UN experts have described the strikes as extrajudicial executions. Petro echoed those concerns, arguing that the principle of proportionality is violated “if you use anything more than a pistol.”
The White House defended Trump’s orders, saying he was “prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”
Tensions between the two leaders are long-standing. Petro accused Washington of humiliating South Americans and insisted Colombia would not “bow down to the king.” Trump has previously branded Petro a “terrorist” during a campaign event and, since returning to office in January, has escalated both deportations and sanctions across Latin America.
The strikes come alongside a broader military buildup in the southern Caribbean, where the US has deployed additional naval assets and thousands of Marines and sailors. Trump has also designated multiple Latin American criminal groups—including Tren de Aragua and Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns, allegedly linked to President Nicolás Maduro and senior officials—as terrorist organisations.
While Petro warned of isolation for South America, he suggested it was Trump who risked isolating Washington with policies that many allies view as unilateral and excessive.