Colombian authorities have dealt a significant blow to the Gulf Clan, the country's largest cocaine cartel, killing five members in a joint operation with police and air force. The victims include regional kingpin Wilson Dario Ruiz Velez, also known as "Moises" or "07", who was responsible for expanding the group's violent presence in the Caribbean region.
The killings come days ahead of a high-profile meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump at the White House. The two leaders are set to discuss combating cocaine trafficking from Colombia, which is the world's top producer. The Gulf Clan has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration, paving the way for potential military action against them.
The latest development in the war on drugs highlights the ongoing struggle between Petro's government and the cartel. Last month, the US sanctioned several members of Petro's family, accusing them of narcotrafficking, which Petro has vehemently denied. The Colombian leader has been a vocal critic of Trump's migrant deportations and campaign against Latin American drug boats.
Petro's government has held peace talks with the Gulf Clan in Qatar, as part of his efforts to get all remaining armed groups in Colombia to disband. However, the negotiations have yet to produce tangible results. The group was previously involved in clashes with security forces last April, when eight members were killed in a standoff.
The meeting between Petro and Trump is expected to be tense, given their history of verbal sparring on social media. While both leaders have expressed a commitment to cooperating on anti-drug efforts, the US has been criticized for its approach to combating cocaine trafficking in Colombia. The US claims that its actions are necessary to protect American interests, but critics argue that they often result in civilian casualties and further destabilize the region.
With tensions between Washington and Bogota at a low point, the outcome of their talks remains uncertain. Will Petro's government be able to convince Trump that cooperation is possible, or will the two leaders continue to see each other as adversaries?
The killings come days ahead of a high-profile meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump at the White House. The two leaders are set to discuss combating cocaine trafficking from Colombia, which is the world's top producer. The Gulf Clan has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration, paving the way for potential military action against them.
The latest development in the war on drugs highlights the ongoing struggle between Petro's government and the cartel. Last month, the US sanctioned several members of Petro's family, accusing them of narcotrafficking, which Petro has vehemently denied. The Colombian leader has been a vocal critic of Trump's migrant deportations and campaign against Latin American drug boats.
Petro's government has held peace talks with the Gulf Clan in Qatar, as part of his efforts to get all remaining armed groups in Colombia to disband. However, the negotiations have yet to produce tangible results. The group was previously involved in clashes with security forces last April, when eight members were killed in a standoff.
The meeting between Petro and Trump is expected to be tense, given their history of verbal sparring on social media. While both leaders have expressed a commitment to cooperating on anti-drug efforts, the US has been criticized for its approach to combating cocaine trafficking in Colombia. The US claims that its actions are necessary to protect American interests, but critics argue that they often result in civilian casualties and further destabilize the region.
With tensions between Washington and Bogota at a low point, the outcome of their talks remains uncertain. Will Petro's government be able to convince Trump that cooperation is possible, or will the two leaders continue to see each other as adversaries?
I'm keeping an eye on this situation, it's crazy how politics and crime can get all tangled up. I've got a little one who's getting into the whole 'good vs evil' phase at home, so I feel like we're seeing some real-life examples of that in Colombia right now. It's not easy for Petro to balance his own family's situation with the ongoing war on drugs - my kid is always telling me how unfair it feels when someone gets in trouble just because they made a bad choice... it's hard to know what's fair and what's not. The fact that Trump's got his team eyeing some military action makes me super nervous for Colombia, those civilians could get caught in the crossfire 
Killing 5 members, including regional kingpin Wilson Dario Ruiz Velez, aka "Moises" or "07", is definitely a blow to their operations. I'm not sure if it's going to be enough to take them down, but at least they're trying.
! The US has been pretty harsh on Colombia lately, so it'll be great to see how both sides negotiate. Fingers crossed that they can come up with a solution that doesn't harm innocent people 
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Those two are always good for some laughs!
. It's like they're playing a game of whack-a-mole, where one guy gets taken out and two more pop up in his place 
. I mean, if the US is going to designate them as a terrorist org, shouldn't they be getting military support or something? It's all so confusing 
. Can't we just find a way to coexist and work together instead of trying to wipe each other out? 
i mean i dont even wanna speculate on wut might happen but idk if trump is even tryna be friends or just tryin 2 get w/ petro n make him look good 
they got this one thing called "K-Town BBQ Tacos" and I'm literally hooked 
! Like, have you ever had Korean chili flakes on a taco?! 
it's life changing lol anyway back to Colombia... I heard the air force is like super advanced now 
did u know they got drones for surveillance now? 
sounds like the Gulf Clan got what was comin' 
colombia's gotta deal with the us's approach to fighting cocaine trafficking and it's just creating more problems 
meanwhile petro's government is trying to negotiate peace with the gulf clan in qatar 
but have they really thought through what would happen after the talks end? 
or are they just hoping for a miracle 
i dont think trump is gonna be convinced by petro's efforts to disarm the gulf clan tho. he's prob gonna want more military action, which wud b super messy 4 colombia 
anti-drug efforts 
Colombia needs all the help they can get right now! It's crazy how one cartel member's death can change everything - it's like a ripple effect 
but seriously petros family got sanctioned by the us last month and now they're trying to get him to take a harder stance on cocaine trafficking 
. And let's be real, this is just going to fuel more violence and instability in the region. It feels like the same old story: US says they're helping Colombia, but really they're just making things worse 
petro's govt is trying to negotiate with them but the us is all like "nope, gotta take 'em down" 
i mean, what's really gonna happen? is petro gonna get some sort of deal out of this meeting or just end up looking like a puppet on a string? 
. Petro's got a reputation for being all about getting rid of the cartels, but Trump's just looking for an excuse to flex his muscles 
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. Will they find common ground on combating cocaine trafficking, or will their past sparring continue to boil over? One thing's for sure: the region is tired of being caught in the middle of US-Colombian politics