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America has officially designated Colombia as a nation that has “clearly not met” its commitments to control narcotics trade, although refraining from cutting off American assistance to the nation.

Annually, the American administration officially assesses whether various countries are fully cooperating with American-directed anti-drug efforts, and those judged inadequate risk having their Washington-backed support suspended.

Earlier this week, the US leadership declared that drug output in Colombia had surged to all-time high figures under its progressive president, Gustavo Petro, a claim that the Colombian leader disputed.

In response, the administration stated it would stop buying weapons from the United States.

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti told local radio that his government would discontinue the acquisition of US arms "starting now".

The other nations the United States said had failed to meet their goals were the Central Asian nation, the South American country, Myanmar and the Bolivarian Republic.

Colombia was placed on the designation for the first time since the late 1990s.

The move is likely to further sour relations between its leadership and the American leadership.

President Petro used social media to reply to the US allegation that during his tenure the land used for coca shrubs and the manufacture of cocaine had attained historic highs.

This vegetation are the main element in cocaine, and the nation has historically been the top manufacturer of the illicit substance.

An analysis by the UN agency (the organization) revealed that planting of coca had risen by 10% in 2023. The figures for 2024 are expected to be made public soon.

Yet Petro insisted that it had been during the leadership of Iván Duque, who was in power from 2018 to 2022, that the area used for coca recorded significant growth.

According to statistics released by the administration, a record over 1,700 tons of cocaine were confiscated by law enforcement between when Petro took office and November 2024. Interceptions have continued at a high level in 2025, official tallies suggest.

Gustavo Petro also stated that for the growing of coca to decrease, what was required was for demand for cocaine to go down in the United States and in European countries.

America on the other hand placed the fault directly at Petro's door, claiming that the president's peace talks with multiple factions — a number of these generate income through drug trafficking — had impeded the battle against illegal substances.

"Ineffective moves to seek accommodations with criminal networks only exacerbated the problem," a government report submitted to American lawmakers declared.

The document continues to applaud the "skill and courage" of law enforcement in combating criminal groups.

The document added that "the failure of Colombia to meet its substance regulation obligations over the last twelve months rests entirely with its government".

Nevertheless, it does leave the option to recertifying Colombia if its administration "implements stronger measures to remove coca and lower cocaine output and distribution".

And while the rhetoric from the US capital has upset Gustavo Petro, his government will also be thankful that the labeling did not lead to a cut of the financial support, commentators note.

This move occurs at a moment when President Trump has made the struggle against "criminal groups" a key focus.

On Monday, he revealed that the navy had destroyed an reportedly illegal trafficking boat in open sea in the tropical zone.

Three people were lost their lives in the operation, the president said.

Furthermore, he stated the America had recorded proof that the ships belonged to criminal networks but has not so far made that evidence public.