The president of a Latin American country is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for his alleged drug trafficking ties, according to a New York Times report.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called President Donald Trump a “barbarian” for ordering lethal strikes on boats in the Caribbean identified by the U.S. as participating in drug trafficking.
He also warned against reviving ‘the age of the Crusades.’
On Friday, the Times cited three people with knowledge of the investigation into Petro by at least two U.S. attorney’s offices.
The investigations focus on whether Petro’s presidential campaign solicited donations from drug traffickers and held meetings with traffickers. The report said the probes are in the early stages, and it’s not clear whether they will result in criminal charges.
The report said the two U.S. attorney’s offices investigating Petro were in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Petro, who is a leftist and former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrilla group, has criticized the Trump administration for promoting a “white, Christian, Western civilization.” He also warned against reviving “the age of the Crusades” and added that such efforts could lead to an “enormous level of violence within each society.”
Trump said back in December, “Colombia is a major manufacturer of drugs, meaning cocaine,” and warned Petro to “wise up.” Petro and Trump then appeared to settle some of their differences after a meeting at the White House in February.
RELATED: Liberals pounce to defend drug cartels after Trump reveals strike on drug-running gang members near Venezuela
Petro has also touted his administration’s efforts at combating and defeating drug traffickers, including the seizure of 3,300 tons of cocaine and the handing over of 800 drug traffickers to the U.S.
Representatives from both prosecutors’ offices declined to comment, and a spokesperson for Petro did not respond to a comment request, according to the Times.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
