Colombian President Gustavo Petro says the real ‘kingpins’ live in Dubai, Madrid and Miami

Описание: (4 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington - 3 February 2026
1. Wide of press conference
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia
"That's why events are important, and it seems very positive to me that this morning's meeting has left us with a positive and optimistic air. What do I feel from what I saw and what I felt? Confusion around the reality of what happens, for example, in problems like drug trafficking, like energy. Different lines, without a doubt, to see the problem. Some aggressive, others more constructive, possibly, among all."
3. Wide of press conference
4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia
"And that's why we saw how to reactivate Venezuela, not just how to condole what happened in Venezuela, which is serious. But how a re-activation of Venezuela could be possible with the help of Colombia on its border, in its neighborhood, occidental for Venezuela, northeast with us. What is the role of the United States there, if not lifting sanctions, for example, specifically. And how to let it flow there, even with the contribution of the United States, flows that have already been built for a long time, which are common. A reality, we repeat it many times, Colombia and Venezuela are the same people, the same history."
5. Wide of reporters
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia
"And on that basis, any pact can be built in the Americas. The gift that he (U.S. President Donald Trump) gave me, how do you call it? The red hat for a great America, Is that it? 'Make America Great' in Spanish, and I wrote with a pen that was there, I wrote 'S' -- "Make Americas Great."
7. Wide of reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia
"Well, like I said, we have to go for the kingpins. In the United States, there is a belief, which even penetrates the body of intelligence and politics, just like in Colombia, that the kingpins are those who wear uniforms and rifles in Colombia, with the different aliases that you, as a Colombian journalists, know. That's the second line, the third. The first line of drug trafficking is not the one you imagine. The first line of drug trafficking lives in Dubai, in Madrid, in Miami. It's known by the United States agencies. I gave their names to President Trump, their ties beyond themselves. Those are the kingpins of kingpins. Their capitals are outside of Colombia. And we have to chase them together through an articulation of intelligence from many sectors of the world. And it is proposed. And it's being done."
9. Zoom in of Petro leaving
STORYLINE:
President Donald Trump met for nearly two hours with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House on Tuesday, conducting a friendly face-to-face mere weeks after threatening military action against the South American country and accusing the leader of pumping cocaine into the United States.

Trump said the pair discussed cooperation in counternarcotics operations and a number of other topics.

Asked about drug trafficking in Colombia, President Petro talked about the need to “target the true kingpins.”

Petro said there is a persistent belief — prevalent even within U.S. and Colombian intelligence circles — that the “capos” are those in uniforms carrying rifles in the Colombian jungle.

In reality, he said, “Those are merely the second or third tier. The primary leaders of the drug trade reside in Dubai, Madrid, and Miami. U.S. agencies are aware of them, and I have personally shared their names with President Trump.”


Petro said the meeting was positive.


AP video by River Zhang



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