Colombia’s Petro invites Trump to cocaine lab demolition amid attack threat

Colombian president chides Trump, saying 18,400 cocaine laboratories person been destroyed ‘without missiles’ fired.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has invited US President Donald Trump to sojourn his state and enactment successful the demolition of cocaine laboratories aft Trump said immoderate state trafficking drugs into the United States could beryllium attacked, “not conscionable Venezuela”.

Trump issued his informing during a Cabinet gathering connected Tuesday astatine the White House, wherever helium singled retired Colombia for producing cocaine and selling it into the US.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Maduro rejects a ‘slave’s peace’ for Venezuela arsenic US ramps up pressure
• list 2 of 4Video: ‘Slaves, never!’ Venezuela’s Maduro holds rally amid US tensions
• list 3 of 4Hegseth oregon Admiral Bradley: Who approved the 2nd Venezuela vessel strike?
• list 4 of 4Trump’s Military Moves & Claims connected Venezuela

“I perceive Colombia, the state of Colombia, is making cocaine. They person cocaine manufacturing plants, oK, and past they merchantability america their cocaine,” Trump said.

“Anybody that’s doing that and selling it into our state is taxable to attack,” helium said.

Petro responded swiftly to Trump successful a station connected societal media, pointing retired that his authorities had destroyed 18,400 cocaine laboratories “without missiles”.

“Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump,” Petro said.

“Come with me, and I’ll amusement you however they are destroyed, 1 laboratory each 40 minutes,” Petro said, “to forestall cocaine from reaching the US”.

Petro besides warned against threatening Colombia’s sovereignty, which helium said was a declaration of warfare that “will awaken a Jaguar”.

“Do not harm 2 centuries of diplomatic relations. You person already slandered me; bash not proceed down that path,” Petro said, seemingly referring to Trump’s erstwhile nationalist assertions that the Colombian person was progressive successful the cause trade.

“If determination is simply a state that has helped halt thousands of tonnes of cocaine truthful that North Americans bash not devour it, it is Colombia,” Petro added.

Venga señor Trump a Colombia, lo invito, para que participe en la destrucción de los 9 laboratorios diarios que hacemos para que nary llegue cocaína a EEUU.

Sin misiles helium destruido en mi gobierno 18.400 laboratorios, venga conmigo y le enseño como se destruyen, un laboratorio… https://t.co/8WOKnclDK7

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) December 2, 2025

Still, Colombia remains the ascendant root of cocaine entering the US: According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, 84 percent of the cause seized successful the state successful 2024 originated successful Colombia.

Trump’s medication has deployed a immense subject unit to the Latin American portion nether the pretext of stemming the flow of drugs to the US from Venezuela, and has carried retired rocket attacks connected vessels successful the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, sidesplitting astatine slightest 83 radical successful the process.

Trump made his remarks connected expanding attacks against narcotics-exporting countries portion seated adjacent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is nether scrutiny for a alleged “double-tap” onslaught successful September that killed 2 survivors from an earlier US onslaught connected a vas successful the Caribbean Sea, which had already killed 9 people.

Legal experts said the 2nd onslaught connected the 2 survivors arsenic they clung to the wreckage of the destroyed vas was perchance a warfare crime, and some Democrat and Republican lawmakers person promised to analyse the circumstances of the killings.

Hegseth defended the secondary onslaught but said connected Tuesday that portion helium had watched the archetypal onslaught connected the suspected cause smuggling vas successful existent time, helium had not seen survivors oregon the 2nd deadly US attack.

The Pentagon main maintained that helium lone discovered, immoderate hours later, that US Admiral Frank Bradley, caput of peculiar operations command, had ordered the 2nd onslaught connected survivors.

Washington has provided nary grounds of wrongdoing connected the portion of the victims, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US of readying to region him from authorities nether the guise of its anti-drug operation.