The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, made a strong accusation against the United States on Tuesday during his speech at the UN General Assembly, condemning what he described as military attacks against migrants in the Caribbean and calling for the initiation of a “criminal proceeding” against Donald Trump, the current president of the United States.
In his speech, Petro stated that young Latin Americans traveling in an unarmed boat were killed by missiles and gunfire ordered from Washington.
“They were not drug traffickers, they were not from the Tren de Aragua, they were simply poor young people who wanted to escape poverty,” said the Colombian president, who directly blamed Trump for authorizing the operation.
According to Petro, the U.S. government portrayed the migrants as drug traffickers and terrorists to justify the attack. "Trump launches missiles at unarmed boats and accuses them without them having a weapon to defend themselves," he stated.
Furthermore, he reported that while poor farmers and migrants die in these actions, the major drug lords live in cities like Miami or New York and negotiate with federal agencies.
The Colombian president also questioned the United States' drug policy, arguing that cocaine consumption has not decreased and that the fentanyl crisis has overwhelmed American society.
"Drug traffickers live in New York, right here, and in Miami. They make deals with the DEA that allow them to traffic in Africa, Europe, Russia, or China, but not in the United States," he expressed from the podium at the United Nations.
Following his intervention, Petro insisted to the press that cocaine is not primarily transported in speedboats, as U.S. authorities claim, but rather in containers and commercial fleets.
"The drugs leave the ports and arrive in Europe and the United States by boat and plane. In the small boats are migrants and small traffickers, but not the big kingpins," he noted.
The Colombian president intensified his criticism by noting that those who dominate the drug trafficking business “do not live in the boats where the missiles fall, but in exclusive neighborhoods in Miami, New York, Paris, or Dubai.” He even added that many of them reside “next to Trump’s house in Miami.”
Petro's statements revive the diplomatic tension between Bogotá and Washington, which is currently facing a delicate moment due to differences in drug policy and handling of migration. The White House has not immediately commented on the allegations.
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