US Decertifies Colombia in Drug War for the First Time in Decades 

The United States this week placed Colombia on its list of countries failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time since 1997, underscoring tensions between the longtime allies amid a surge in cocaine production, NPR reported. 

On Monday, the Trump administration decertified Colombia as a drug control partner, accusing Bogota of “failing demonstrably to meet its drug control obligations.”  

However, it did not impose sanctions on the country, instead granting Colombia a “national interest waiver” that preserves US aid and security cooperation. 

US President Donald Trump blamed Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “erratic and ineffectual leadership” for the surge in cocaine output and trafficking.  

Petro expressed regret over the decision but accused Washington of lying, pointing to US and European demand for drugs as the real driver of the crisis, the Associated Press added.  

For decades, the US and Colombia have partnered on counternarcotics efforts, with billions in US aid funding to eradicate coca production, strengthening Colombia’s security forces, and supporting alternative crop programs.  

That cooperation began to weaken after Colombia’s high court banned aerial eradication efforts deploying glyphosate over health and environmental concerns. 

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer, and its estimated cocaine yield increased by 50 percent between 2022 and 2023. 

Petro’s administration has attempted to curb drug trafficking through crop substitution programs and negotiations with criminal organizations. But his efforts have had little success, and the manual eradication of coca crops has slowed to a little more than 5,000 hectares in 2025 – far below the government’s own goal of 30,000 hectares. 

Ahead of the designation, Colombian politicians and officials had been lobbying in the US not to cut military aid over concerns that it would severely impact its ongoing operations against armed groups, a fight that has escalated and turned increasingly violent this year. 

Analysts said the designation, even without sanctions, is a symbolic blow to one of Washington’s closest regional partners and raises doubts about the reliability of US commitments in South America. 

In addition to Colombia, Monday’s decertification included Afghanistan, Burma, Bolivia, and Venezuela. 

Venezuela’s designation comes as the US has launched warships in the Caribbean in recent weeks, targeting alleged drug vessels outside Venezuelan waters. 

On Monday, the US military carried out a strike on suspected Venezuelan drug smugglers, killing three people, the Washington Post wrote. That operation follows an attack earlier this month on a Venezuelan boat that saw 11 people killed. 

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has not commented on the second strike, but has labeled the first attack “a diplomatic aggression … on its way to becoming a military aggression.” 

Observers and officials noted that the recent attacks underscore a sharp escalation in US counternarcotics operations, prompting questions about their legality.