The United States is once again under fire from a leftist foreign leader—this time Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro—who is lashing out at America’s anti-drug operations in the Caribbean. Petro has accused the U.S. military of “murdering” a Colombian fisherman after a strike on a suspected drug vessel on September 15. He claims the man, Alejandro Carranza, had no ties to the narcotics trade and that the U.S. violated Colombia’s sovereignty. But let’s take a step back and look at the big picture: America is finally taking decisive action to choke off the deadly drug trade that’s been killing our citizens for decades—and Petro is more concerned about protecting traffickers’ turf than stopping the flow of poison into our communities.
Under President Donald Trump’s renewed war on narcotics, U.S. forces have launched a series of precise strikes on drug-running vessels in the Caribbean, particularly those linked to Venezuela’s socialist regime. Trump has made it clear: the days of tolerating narco-submarines sneaking deadly cargo toward American shores are over. Since early September, the U.S. has taken out multiple targets, including a high-profile incident on October 17 where a drug sub was intercepted and destroyed, killing two suspected traffickers and apprehending two others.
This is not just about drugs. It’s about national security. Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, an authoritarian dictator propped up by China, Russia, and Iran, has turned his country into a narco-state. His regime profits off the cocaine trade, using the proceeds to fund repression at home and destabilization abroad. The U.S. has long refused to recognize Maduro’s fraudulent hold on power, especially after his rigged 2024 election. Now, with intelligence confirming that Venezuelan drug routes are expanding through the Caribbean, Trump acted with strength by authorizing both overt and covert military efforts to shut them down.
Colombia, once a staunch ally in the war on drugs, is now led by Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla and left-wing populist who has shown more sympathy for drug traffickers than for the rule of law. His latest accusation that the U.S. “murdered” a fisherman is not backed up by evidence. The Trump administration has not released all operational details for national security reasons, but early reports suggest the vessel in question was on a known smuggling route. Petro’s claim that the boat was “adrift” with a distress signal conveniently ignores the context: this was a region crawling with traffickers. If Carranza was indeed an innocent fisherman, that tragedy lies more at the feet of the traffickers and the corrupt regimes enabling them than at the feet of American forces trying to protect their homeland.
It’s important to remember that over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2023 alone. Much of that was driven by fentanyl and cocaine flowing in from Latin America. The Trump administration has drawn a hard line: either you help us stop the flow, or we’ll stop it ourselves. This is what a serious national security policy looks like.
Critics, including so-called international observers and leftist politicians, argue that these U.S. strikes may violate international law. But what about the international law being violated every day by Maduro’s regime? What about the sovereignty of the United States, which is under constant attack from drug cartels and foreign adversaries? The real violation is the decades-long failure to secure our borders and stop the narcotics flooding our streets.
President Trump’s doctrine is simple: defend America, disrupt the enemy, and dismantle the drug networks at their source. That means pushing back against not just cartels, but also the leftist governments that shield them—whether in Caracas or Bogotá. Petro’s outburst is not just political theater; it’s a distraction from his own failure to crack down on traffickers within Colombia.
The American people are tired of excuses and half-measures. We need strong leadership that puts our safety first. The strikes in the Caribbean are not acts of aggression—they are acts of defense. And as long as President Trump is in the White House, America will not apologize for protecting its citizens.