U.s. Prosecutors Probe Whether Colombian President Petro Had Ties To Drug Traffickers

NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors successful New York are investigating Colombian President Gustavo Petro for alleged ties to supplier traffickers, according to 2 group acquainted pinch nan matter.

The group weren’t authorized to talk nan ongoing enquiry and said to nan Associated Press connected information of anonymity.

Prosecutors successful Brooklyn and Manhattan successful caller months person been questioning narcotraffickers astir their ties to Petro and specifically astir allegations nan Colombian president’s representatives solicited bribes to artifact their extradition to nan United States, said 1 of nan group acquainted pinch nan inquiry.

The personification said it wasn’t clear whether national prosecutors person implicated Petro successful immoderate crime.

“The investigation focuses connected efforts astatine Colombian jails to get donations to nan Petro run — and Petro himself — successful speech for a committedness not to extradite,” this personification said.

A spokesperson for nan Colombian presidency declined to remark connected nan ongoing investigations into Petro aliases nan consequent ineligible proceedings.

The national enquiry was reported earlier Friday by The New York Times.

Petro came nether scrutiny done nan people of supplier trafficking investigations by New York authorities that led them to place him arsenic a subject, according to different personification acquainted pinch nan matter.

The inquiries into Petro are successful nan early stages and it is not clear whether they will consequence successful charges, this personification said, adding nan White House has had nary domiciled successful nan investigations.

Petro, a erstwhile rebel leader, soared into agency promising to trim nan country’s dependence connected fossil fuels and reallocate authorities resources to addressing entrenched poverty.

A leftist firebrand known for winding sometimes incoherent speeches, he has regularly criticized nan Trump management complete its support for Israel, bombing of supplier boats successful nan Caribbean and likened nan White House migration crackdown to “Nazi” tactics.

After 1 specified outburst, astatine a pro-Palestinian objection extracurricular nan United Nations office successful New York, Trump retaliated by revoking Petro’s U.S. visa. He besides concisely slapped precocious tariffs connected Colombia complete Petro’s refusal to judge deportation flights from nan United States.

But much precocious nan 2 person shown signs of getting along. After a gathering astatine nan White House successful February, Trump described Petro arsenic “terrific.”

Mustian, Richer and Goodman constitute for nan Associated Press. Richer reported from Washington and Goodman reported from Miami. Mike Sisak contributed to this study from New York and Astrid Suárez from Bogotá, Colombia,