US Expands Anti-Drug Military Strikes, Hits Alleged Colombian Rebel Vessel Amid Growing Rift with Bogotá

Washington halts financial aid and plans new tariffs on Colombia as tensions escalate following deadly attacks on suspected drug-running boats off South America

Washington / Bogotá, Oct 2025 — The United States has expanded its ongoing maritime operation against suspected narcotics trafficking in South America, launching another strike on what it described as a “drug-running vessel” allegedly linked to Colombia’s leftist National Liberation Army (ELN), the Pentagon announced Sunday.

The latest attack marks a significant escalation in the US military’s anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean and Pacific regions, as Washington simultaneously moves to suspend financial aid and impose new tariffs on Colombia — one of its long-standing regional allies.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike was carried out Friday in international waters within the jurisdiction of the US Southern Command, which oversees American military operations across Latin America. The targeted vessel, reportedly affiliated with Colombia’s ELN guerrilla movement, was destroyed during the operation, killing three crew members. Hegseth did not specify the exact location of the incident, noting only that the operation formed part of an ongoing mission to intercept maritime drug shipments bound for North America.

Since August, the United States has deployed warships off the Venezuelan coast and conducted at least six strikes on vessels accused of drug smuggling. According to Pentagon figures, these operations have resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people to date.

Trump Confirms Halt to Aid and New Tariffs on Colombia

The announcement came as President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington will suspend all financial assistance to Colombia and introduce new tariffs as early as Monday. The move, first hinted at by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on social media, is being framed as part of a broader effort to pressure Bogotá over what the White House claims is its failure to curb drug production.

“He (Trump) informed me that he is going to be hitting Colombia, not only their drug dealers and traders, but also where it hurts — in the wallet,” Graham posted. “He will be announcing major tariffs against the country of Colombia.”

On Saturday, Trump revealed that two suspected drug traffickers captured after the bombing of a “drug-smuggling submarine” in the Caribbean were being repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia rather than prosecuted in the United States. When questioned about the decision, Vice President JD Vance remarked, “What happens to them? I don’t really care, so long as they’re not bringing poison into our country.”

Colombia Accuses US of Overreach and ‘Murder’

Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed that one Colombian national had been repatriated and accused the United States of “murder” in connection with the September killing of a Colombian fisherman during an earlier US strike.

In a fiery response, Trump lashed out at Petro, accusing him of doing “nothing” to stop cocaine production despite “large-scale payments and subsidies” from Washington.

“AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF SUBSIDY, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE,” Trump declared on his Truth Social platform, adding that Petro was “strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs.”

Colombia has historically been the largest recipient of US aid in South America, receiving around $740 million in 2023, half of which was directed toward anti-narcotics operations.

Diplomatic Breakdown Between Two Allies

The heated exchanges have driven relations between the two nations to their lowest point in decades. Last month, Washington formally decertified Colombia as an ally in the global fight against drugs, prompting Bogotá to retaliate by halting all arms purchases from the United States — its main defense supplier.

Since taking office in 2022, Petro has advocated a new approach to the war on drugs, shifting away from forced coca eradication toward addressing the social and economic drivers of trafficking. However, under his administration, coca cultivation — the raw material for cocaine — has risen by nearly 70 percent, according to estimates from both the Colombian government and the United Nations.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Petro rebuked Trump’s accusations, writing: “Colombia has never been rude to the United States. On the contrary, it has admired its culture deeply. But you are rude and ignorant about Colombia.”

As tensions flare, analysts warn that the combination of military strikes, economic penalties, and diplomatic hostility could push one of Washington’s closest Latin American partnerships into a prolonged and unpredictable crisis.