EXPLAINER
Meet the US’s drug running friends: A history of narcotics involvement
Trump claims to be cracking down on drug gangs in Venezuela but pardoned a Honduran drug lord serving time in the US.
![A demonstration against the Contras, the US intervention in Nicaragua, Central America and Honduras [File: Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1039970092-1764842063.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Advertisement
Content Feed
Colombia’s Petro inks $4.3bn deal for 17 fighter jets amid regional tension
President Gustavo Petro says purchase of warplanes is a ‘deterrent weapon to achieve peace’ amid ‘messy’ geopolitics.
US announces ‘Southern Spear’ mission as forces deploy near South America
US reportedly carries out 20th attack on a vessel in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing four people with ‘no survivors’.
Colombia to maintain US intelligence-sharing to fight drug trafficking
Announcement comes after President Petro said Colombia would stop working with US over strikes on alleged drug boats.
Colombia’s Petro halts intelligence sharing with US over Caribbean strikes
Announcement comes as US aircraft carrier arrives in the Caribbean and Presidents Trump, Petro feud.
From: Quotable
Colombia seeks joint “actions” on drug trade
“The United States needs to revise its strategy … instead of insisting on criminalising the drug trade.”
Published On 9 Nov 2025
Moscow-backed court jails two Colombians who fought for Ukraine
Colombian fighters Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37 were each sentenced to 13 years in prison.
US kills two more people in latest strike on vessel in the Pacific
Legal experts says US attacks amount to extrajudicial killing even if those targeted are suspected of drug trafficking.
Colombia’s ELN rebels face US drug threats amid push for peace talks
The US focus on drugs and nearby Venezuela brings an international dimension to what was an internal Colombian conflict.
From: NewsFeed
Maduro accuses Trump of ‘fabricating war’ as US deploys largest warship
The US is deploying the world’s largest aircraft carrier to Latin America to curb drug trafficking.
Published On 25 Oct 2025
EXPLAINER
What military force has the US positioned off Venezuela’s coast?
The US has attacked several Venezuelan boats and deployed its largest military buildup in Latin America in decades.
