Colombian president Gustavo Petro came out in defense of dictator Nicolás Maduro on Saturday (9) days after the United States government announced that the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan leader went from $ 25 million to $ 50 million.
The measure was determined by the government of President Donald Trump, who accuses Maduro of commanding an international drug trafficking network. In a statement published in the X, Petro said he does not believe that “the solution of the political problems of Venezuelans will put money to kill or capture political leaders.”
The increase in reward, according to the US Department of Justice, represents the highest amount ever offered by the US, surpassing the amount offered by the capture of Osama Bin Laden after September 11 attacks. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Maduro is “directly linked” to drug trafficking operations and has classified him as “one of the world’s greatest drug traffickers.” She also accused him of acting with the criminal group Tren de Aragua, defined by Washington as a terrorist organization, and the Cartel de Sinaloa, to insert drugs and violence in the United States.
In the publication, Petro said he agreed with the fight against drug trafficking “on the basis of respect for national sovereignty” and that it is necessary to “double or triple the struggle against drug trafficking organizations, starting with their groups, their finances and the massive apprehension of their illicit goods.” The Colombian President added that his government “has coordinated and will continue to coordinate with every government that really compromises itself in this struggle, respecting the independence of governments.”
Petro also defended profound changes in anti -drug laws, proposing the legalization of substances that classifies as “little dangerous”.
“The world must make the effort to make unhappy substances and concentrate the effort in the most dangerous. The world should decriminalize vulnerable social groups such as peasants, indigenous people and youth and excluded ethnic groups. Only then is the social base of drug trafficking,” Petro said.
In addition, the Colombian President said he received “blunt support” from Maduro and Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López to combat drug trafficking groups on the border between the two countries. He argued that this joint work “must continue” and reiterated that the departure to the political crisis in Venezuela goes through “an open dialogue between all his forces for free elections.”
In the United States, the measure against Maduro was supported by republican congressmen such as Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar, who called him “drugstore” and “threat to national security.” The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that the Venezuelan leads the “Los Soles cartel”, a narcoterrorist organization that, according to him, controls the country.
