Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been named in two separate criminal investigations led by U.S. prosecutors.
The New York Times first reported the existence of the two investigations on Friday, citing people familiar with the cases.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Media reports say the investigation, which focuses on drug smuggling in Latin America, does not target Petro personally.
But the Times says U.S. attorneys in Brooklyn and Manhattan are investigating whether Petro met with drug traffickers and solicited donations from them for his 2022 presidential campaign. Al Jazeera has not independently verified the Times report.
By Friday afternoon, Petro had issued a statement denying the claims, threatening to deepen the rift between the United States and Colombia once again.
“In Colombia, my relationship with a drug trafficker has never been investigated. The reason is simple: I have never spoken to a drug trafficker in my life,” Petro wrote on social media platform X.
He added that he had instructed his campaign managers never to accept donations from bankers or drug traffickers.
He insisted that the U.S. investigation would ultimately exonerate him and accused Colombia’s right-wing opposition of stirring up controversy.
“So the legal proceedings in the United States will certainly help to withdraw the charges against the Colombian far-right, which has close ties to Colombian drug traffickers,” Petro said.
Petro has not been charged with any crime and the investigation is in its early stages, the paper said.
But experts say the timing of the report is important, with Colombia’s closely watched May 31 presidential election just two and a half months away.
“If this happened a week before the first round of voting, it would be election interference,” Sergio Guzmán, director of the security think tank Colombia Risk Analysis, told Al Jazeera.
“This appears to be more of a warning of how the United States could potentially influence the outcome of the election.”
Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, is limited to one term, but this election is likely to be a referendum on a four-year term.
It will also be a test for Petro’s Historical Accord coalition, whose candidate Ivan Cepeda is currently leading in opinion polls.
However, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for increasing the chances of right-wing candidates in Latin America. Trump and Petro have been at odds since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
The feud between the two sides came to a head in January, when the United States attacked Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro.
Shortly afterward, a reporter asked if the United States would take military action against Colombia. Trump replied, “I think that’s a good thing.”
To defuse tensions, President Trump and President Petro later spoke by phone and agreed to meet.
Mr. Petro then visited the White House in early February to repair his often-at odds relationship with Mr. Trump. During their visit, the Colombian delegation interacted with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among others.
Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, a longtime critic of the Petro administration, also attended. Guzmán believes the senator’s presence was important.
“We don’t really have a direct answer as to what the promises were in that meeting, but Bernie Moreno said he would prefer Petro not to be so involved in the election,” Guzman told Al Jazeera.
“So what? Petro is fully involved in the election.”
The meeting also discussed cooperative efforts to combat drug trafficking, an issue that is a core issue of President Trump’s foreign policy.
The two presidents ended their meeting in good spirits, with Petro sharing a photo signed by Trump that read, “Gustavo, it’s a great honor. I love Colombia.”
But Mr. Petro and Mr. Trump have long been at odds over how to crack down on drug smuggling.
Colombia, the region’s largest producer of cocaine, has been criticized by the Trump administration for what it sees as decriminalization policies, including negotiations with armed groups.
Meanwhile, Petro denounced the US’s deadly tactics, tantamount to murder.
For example, the United States bombed at least 46 suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Colombian nationals were among the 159 people killed.
The United States has also floated the idea of carrying out military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in Latin America, and recently launched a joint operation against gangs in Colombia’s neighbor Ecuador.
Analysts say these actions are worrying Latin American leaders.
Rodrigo Pombo Callao, a constitutional law professor at Pontificia University Javeriana, said Trump’s aggressive tactics suggest he is willing to risk “the sovereignty and peace of every nation” in his campaign against illegal drugs.
Pombo Cahaio pointed out that on January 3, the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro, a longtime opponent of President Trump, is currently being held in a New York prison on drug-related charges.
Pombo Callao said that after the abduction, “all political leaders in the region were alerted.”
“Colombia, the world’s leading producer of cocaine, is at high risk of judicial prosecution from the United States,” he added.
Currently, the Petro Historical Accord is leading in May’s presidential election. According to a GAD3 poll released this week, Cepeda has 35% support among voters, ahead of far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriela (21%).
