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Original article: Petro a Trump: La cúpula del narcotráfico no está en Colombia y pide cooperación internacional

Petro informed Trump that he provided a list of drug lords operating from Dubai, Madrid, and Miami, emphasizing that the true leaders «are not those who carry uniforms and rifles in Colombia,» but rather those directing the business from abroad.

Following his first in-person meeting with Donald Trump, Colombian President Gustavo Petro made it clear to the U.S. leader that the upper echelons of drug trafficking are not located in Colombia and called for international cooperation to capture their leaders.

In statements to the press after meeting with the Republican magnate, Petro indicated that he provided a list of drug lords who, he said, operate from Dubai, Madrid, and Miami. He clarified that the real bosses «are not the ones in uniforms and rifles in Colombia,» but those who manage the business from abroad.

«My impression of the recent meeting, which took place just hours ago, is positive, primarily,» he affirmed, highlighting that the meeting occurred during a time of political and economic uncertainties worldwide, prompting discussions about the present and future of the international system.

Attending the meeting were U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Colombian Ambassador to the United States Daniel García-Peña; Senator Bernie Moreno; Defense Minister Pablo Sánchez; Foreign Minister Rosa Vilavicencio; and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.

The Colombian head of state explained that he presented his assessment of drug trafficking to Trump, emphasizing the necessity of reorienting the international approach.

«I reiterated that we need to go after the drug lords,» he stated, while mentioning the «confusion surrounding the reality» concerning who truly constitutes the leadership of drug trafficking in both the U.S. and Colombia.

He questioned the perception that drug trafficking leaders are those armed individuals present on Colombian soil.

«In the United States, there is a belief that even penetrates intelligence and political circles, as well as in Colombia, that the lords are those wearing uniforms and rifles in Colombia. That is the second line. The first line of drug trafficking is not what you think,» he argued.

With this premise, Petro outlined a completely different criminal landscape than the one shaped by decades of reports and operations. «The first line of drug trafficking lives in Dubai, Madrid, Miami. American agencies know them, and I passed their names to President Trump,» he asserted, insisting that evidence is already in the hands of U.S. authorities.

This scenario, in his view, necessitates a total reengineering of cooperation.

«Their capitals are outside of Colombia, and we need to pursue them together through coordinated intelligence across many sectors of the world,» he proposed, advocating for a global alliance that stops focusing its firepower and investigative efforts almost exclusively in Colombian territory.

Transition to Clean Energies

Beyond the crucial issue of drug trafficking, the bilateral dialogue covered a wide range of regional challenges.

Petro also presented to Trump his vision for an energy transition that would transform La Guajira and Latin America into a powerhouse of clean energy, a project that he argued could catalyze development in western Venezuela and provide real alternatives to illicit economies in regions like Catatumbo.

In this context, he defended a policy of voluntary crop substitution with genuine state support for products like coffee and cocoa and proposed coordinated military action between Colombia and Venezuela against armed groups serving drug trafficking.

«Those who want, the farmers, to substitute, genuinely eradicate and replace them with cocoa or coffee, let’s do it!» he declared to Caracol Radio.

Trump to Mediate Between Colombia and Ecuador

The diplomatic dimension also had its space. Petro denied a supposed enmity with Ecuador’s President, Daniel Noboa, attributing it to disinformation campaigns, and asked Trump for his support in facilitating reconciliation that paves the way for a regional alliance against organized crime, integrating Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, as reported by Radio Nacional de Colombia.

On this matter, he mentioned that «wars can be created with a headline, gossip, or a tweet. Colombia experienced that. Therefore, the best thing is to dialogue face to face, without lowering ourselves: we can come to recognize each other, see where we went wrong, and avoid any acts of violence.»

«There are forces interested in breaking relations between countries because they are the mafia; they want us not to look at each other. They are forces willing to kill Colombians in masses at the border to ensure we do not coordinate,» he emphasized.

The progressive leader insisted that the economic reactivation of border areas is key to reducing illegal economies: «The more the northeastern Colombian region, northern Colombia, and western Venezuela are revitalized, the less drug trafficking there will be. The more the southern Colombian region, southwestern Colombia, and northern Ecuador are revitalized, the more we will have the opportunity to close the doors to drug trafficking.»

Regarding the delicate issue of the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during the military aggression perpetrated by the Trump administration against the neighboring country on January 3, Petro revealed that the far-right leader directly asked him if he feared a similar fate. «The past will be evaluated, but the present and future are primary,» was the Colombian leader’s response, who assured ongoing dialogues with «rational» sectors of the Venezuelan opposition to seek a political solution.

In his subsequent statements shared with Caracol Radio, Petro elaborated on the need to reactivate Venezuela through cooperation and not condemnation, requesting a review of sanctions that would allow existing economic and social processes at the border to flow.

«Even Trump himself said it, and I was surprised because I had other ideas, ‘but why did they impose such stupid sanctions?’. I also say the same; it’s the most uneconomical and irrational thing I’ve seen,» he remarked.

The Colombian president indicated that he extended a personal invitation to Trump to visit Cartagena, underscoring that perceiving Colombia as a country reduced to violence is an anachronism.

«We are different, but frankness comes first (…) I told him there is a common bridge between Latin America and the United States: freedom. That is what made Washington and Simón Bolívar want to establish ties,» he recounted.

Gift Exchange Between Trump and Petro

During the meeting, there was a gift exchange from both the Colombian president and his U.S. counterpart.

From Trump, the first gift he presented to Petro was a keepsake with a photo of the two at the White House, along with his signature and a message saying: «Gustavo: A Great Honor. Love for Colombia. Donald Trump».

He also gifted a copy of his book «Trump: The Art of the Deal,» with a signature and a message that read: «You are great.»

In response, the Colombian leader noted through his X account, asking: «What did Trump mean by this dedication? I don’t understand much English.»

The progressive leader presented the Republican magnate with a traditional Colombian gift basket filled with emblematic products from the country, such as coffee and chocolate, specifically produced by families that previously engaged in coca cultivation, now part of the illicit crop substitution program promoted by the government.

La entrada Petro to Trump: The Drug Trafficking Elite Is Not in Colombia, Calls for International Cooperation se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.