The United States has imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of refusing to stop the flow of cocaine to the US, as Washington increases pressure on the Latin American leader who has clashed with President Donald Trump.

"Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on Friday.

"President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity. Today, President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation."

Petro said on X he had sought to fight drug trafficking for decades

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