Overview
- Separate inquiries by the U.S. attorney’s offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn are underway, involving DEA and Homeland Security Investigations agents, according to anonymous sources.
- Investigators are in early stages and have examined whether Petro met traffickers and whether his campaign sought donations from them, with no charges announced.
- The New York Times reporting cited no indication that the White House initiated the probes, and the prosecutors’ offices declined to comment.
- The political backdrop includes sharp criticism of Petro by President Donald Trump, who could seek leverage or attempt to sway Colombia’s May election, the reports say.
- Colombia remains the world’s top producer of cocaine and a key U.S. security partner; Petro denies links to trafficking as Colombian prosecutors say illicit money entered his 2022 campaign through others without charging him.