US drug decertification and sanctions shadow Petro's final months
Washington's first 'failed demonstrably' label since 1997, plus sanctions on Petro himself, collide with a Trump-endorsed successor
Summary
Washington decertified Colombia as a drug-control partner in September 2025 — the first "failed demonstrably" determination since 1997 — blaming Gustavo Petro's accommodation of armed groups, while granting a national-interest waiver that preserved aid. The Donald Trump administration later imposed sanctions on Petro personally in October 2025. The dispute over coca eradication and crop-substitution policy has run into 2026 and now intersects with the victory of Trump-endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella, reshaping the August transition. Petro has answered the rebuke defiantly, trading public goads with Washington as his term winds down (see Petro refuses to concede, alleging US and Israeli interference as his term winds down).
By the numbers
- 1997 — last prior "failed demonstrably" decertification before 2025.
- Sep 2025 — the decertification determination.
- Oct 2025 — US sanctions imposed on Petro himself.
Why it matters
Decertification plus personal sanctions mark the sharpest US-Colombia rupture in decades, straining a relationship built on decades of security cooperation. With a Trump-aligned successor incoming, the question is whether Bogotá snaps back toward Washington's eradication metrics — and what that means for coca policy and bilateral aid.
What to watch
- Whether sanctions on Petro are lifted or extended past his term.
- De la Espriella's drug-policy posture and any recertification.
- Eradication-versus-substitution decisions affecting US aid.