By JIM MUSTIAN, JOSHUA GOODMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been designated a "priority target" by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as federal prosecutors in New York probe his alleged ties to drug traffickers, according to people familiar with the matter and records seen by The Associated Press. DEA records show Petro has surfaced in multiple investigations dating to 2022, many based on interviews with confidential informants. Petro has denied all ties to drug traffickers. Prosecutors in Brooklyn and Manhattan in recent months have been questioning drug traffickers about their ties to Petro and specifically about allegations the Colombian president's representatives solicited bribes to block their extradition to the United States, said one of the people familiar with the inquiry.
Mexico's security minister says the country has sent 37 more cartel members to the United States. The announcement came Tuesday as the U.S. increases pressure on governments to tackle drug smuggling networks. In a social media post, Mexican Security Minister Omar GarcÃa Harfuch described the individuals as "high impact criminals" posing a significant threat to national security. This marks the third time in the past year that Mexico has transferred detained cartel members to the U.S. Harfuch noted that the government has sent a total of 92 people so far.
By JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press/Report for America
Updated
President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China is aimed at stopping the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Ingredients for fentanyl are produced in China and used by pharmaceutical companies to make legal painkillers. But a portion of those chemicals is purchased by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels in Mexico for the manufacture of illicit drugs. The cartels make fentanyl in labs and then smuggle it into the U.S. The small amounts of the highly potent drug in any shipment, and its lack of odor, make detection and seizures extremely challenging.
