Gustavo Petro questions U.S. strike that may have killed Colombians near Dominican Republic

Bogotá, Colombia.- Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused U.S. and Dominican officials on X of potentially being responsible for the deaths of Colombian citizens during a recent anti-drug operation in Caribbean waters. The incident involved a boat carrying over a ton of cocaine that was sunk by U.S. forces, an action later publicized by President Donald Trump with a video of the drug-laden vessel.

Both the Dominican Republic and the United States stated that the operation took place in international waters, roughly 80 miles off Beata Island. Anti-narcotics authorities from both countries recovered more than 300 packages of cocaine from the boat, which was reportedly transporting narco-terrorists and was bound for the Dominican Republic.

Petro called for an investigation and urged families of missing young people to file complaints. He questioned the legality of the military strike, stating that “there is no legal provision that allows firing missiles at boats carrying unarmed young people at sea, regardless of their activity.”