US EditionTrump Administration Says Colombia Has Failed in Fight Against Drug Trafficking, but US Will Still Provide Funding to Country | News Channel 3-12
Colombia's coca cultivation reached a record 253,000 hectares in 2023, with eradication efforts dropping to 5,048 hectares, prompting U.S. decertification but continued aid via sanctions waiver.
- The Trump administration de-certified Colombia on September 16, 2025, for failing to meet drug control obligations despite continuing to provide funding.
- The decision follows a surge in coca cultivation and cocaine production under President Gustavo Petro, whose approach to drug policy contrasts sharply with the Trump administration's tougher stance.
- Colombian and U.S. agencies work closely together on counternarcotics operations, with Colombian forces intercepting large quantities of cocaine and eradicating vast areas of coca cultivation amid persistent violence.
- The Trump administration indicated it might revise Colombia's status contingent upon the country taking stronger measures to eradicate coca, curb cocaine production and trafficking, and enhance cooperation with the U.S. to hold criminal leaders accountable.
- The de-certification represents a symbolic rebuke that could strain bilateral ties and complicate Colombia's efforts to control drug trafficking despite U.S. funding and military cooperation.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The Administration of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, removed Colombia from the list of countries fighting...
By Jennifer Hansler and Stefano Pozzebon, CNN The Trump administration said Monday that Colombia had “notoriously failed” in its obligations to combat drug trafficking, but that the US will continue providing funding to the country. While the decision to “decertify” Colombia but continue assistance avoids what experts called a worst-case scenario of cutting off millions in funding, it is still a significant symbolic move. It is likely to further…
Washington has not yet commented on this decision, which would amount to the elimination of US support to Colombia of hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
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