NextFin news, Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, urged the initiation of criminal proceedings against former US President Donald Trump and other US officials involved in recent military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea. Petro made the call during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The strikes targeted three boats alleged by the US to be smuggling drugs. According to Petro, these attacks resulted in the deaths of more than ten people, including unarmed young individuals from Latin America, some of whom were Colombian nationals. He challenged the US claim that the passengers were members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, stating instead that they were poor youths seeking to escape poverty.
Petro stated, "Criminal proceedings must be initiated against officials from the United States, including the highest-ranking official who issued the order — President Trump." He accused the US administration of criminalizing poverty and migration through these actions.
The US military strikes occurred on September 2, September 16, and September 19, 2025, with the first attack reportedly killing 11 people, the second killing three, and the third killing three more. The Trump administration justified the strikes as necessary to combat drug trafficking into the United States but has not publicly detailed how it assessed the vessels' cargo or the passengers' affiliations.
United Nations experts have described some of these attacks as "extrajudicial executions." The US had deployed eight warships and one submarine to the southern Caribbean, raising regional concerns about potential military escalation near Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the Trump administration of using drug trafficking as a pretext for military operations aimed at destabilizing his government. In response to the US naval presence, thousands of Venezuelans have joined civilian militias to bolster national defenses.
Petro, Colombia's first leftist president who restored diplomatic ties with Venezuela in 2022, emphasized that the victims were not drug traffickers but impoverished youths. He questioned the necessity of bombing unarmed individuals and called for accountability through international legal mechanisms.
These developments come amid heightened tensions in the Caribbean region, with the US intensifying its efforts against drug smuggling while facing criticism from regional leaders over the conduct and consequences of its military actions.
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