COLOMBIA · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- The country Colombia, a key US security partner, swapped Gustavo Petro’s leftist government for conservative President Abelardo De La Espriella on 7 August 2026.
- What happened On Wednesday 14 October a US State Department spokesperson said Washington is aware of claims that Verónica Alcocer flew drugs to Venezuela.
- Who she is Alcocer, Petro’s ex-wife, was Colombia’s first lady from 2022 to 2026. The US Treasury blacklisted her and Petro on 24 October 2025.
- The claim A former adviser, Eva Ferrer, alleges Alcocer brought back US$2.5 million from Venezuela. Nothing has been proven, and nobody has been charged.
- Her answer Alcocer confirms two official trips to Venezuela in 2023, denies any wrongdoing and has asked prosecutors for details of any case against her.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
- Still open Whether any US agency opens its own inquiry, and whether Ferrer, now abroad, hands over the evidence she says she has.
The US State Department says it knows of claims that Colombia’s former first lady, Petro’s ex-wife Verónica Alcocer, flew drugs to Venezuela. A spokesperson told the Bogotá daily El Tiempo on Wednesday that the reports say she used an official plane and came back with US$2.5 million.
The comment matters because Alcocer and Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s leftist president until August, have been under US Treasury sanctions since October 2025. Nothing has been proven, Alcocer denies the claims, and no US agency has announced new measures.
What Washington Said
The spokesperson gave the statement to Sergio Gómez, El Tiempo’s correspondent in Washington, and the paper published it on Wednesday morning. The official said the US is aware of claims that Alcocer used an official aircraft to carry narcotics to Venezuela.
The spokesperson also recalled that OFAC, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, blacklisted her in October 2025. That measure, the official said, targets foreigners involved in the global trade in illegal drugs.
The statement closed with a nod to Colombia’s new conservative president, Abelardo De La Espriella, a lawyer who succeeded Petro on 7 August. It said his government and the Trump administration are reviving bilateral ties and deepening their economic and security partnership.
Noticias Caracol, a national television newscast, received a similar answer. Its White House correspondent, Juan Esteban Silva, wrote on X that Trump officials told him directly the US is aware of the claims.
Why Alcocer Is Already Under US Sanctions
The Treasury designated Petro, Alcocer, Petro’s son Nicolás and then interior minister Armando Benedetti on 24 October 2025. It acted under Executive Order 14059, which targets people who feed the international trade in illicit drugs.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time that Petro had “allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.” The department said Petro’s “total peace” policy of talks with armed groups had given benefits to what it called narco-terrorist organisations.
Petro’s ex-wife was listed for allegedly giving him financial or material support, goods or services. The Treasury also said Petro had named her a special-mission ambassador, a post a Colombian court annulled because the constitution bars appointing spouses.
On Tuesday 13 October, the Treasury restated those grounds to NTN24, a Bogotá-based news channel, and confirmed that Alcocer remains listed. When the Treasury dropped dozens of Colombian people and firms from the list in early October, the four Petro-era names stayed, Noticias Caracol reported.
What Ferrer Alleges and What Alcocer Says
Eva Ferrer, a Catalan who served as Petro’s presidential counsellor for children and reconciliation, was once a close friend of Alcocer. In an interview published last week by Semana, a Bogotá news magazine, she called Alcocer the hidden head of an illegal network.
Ferrer said a businessman close to Alcocer, Manel Grau, told her that Alcocer brought back US$2.5 million from a trip to Venezuela. She also said there seem to be photos of Alcocer leaving a plane with grey suitcases holding drugs.
Alcocer answered on Wednesday with a formal request to the Fiscalía, Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, asking whether a new case exists and who handles it. She confirmed two official trips to Venezuela, on 31 January 2023 and 18 November 2023, the second with then-president Petro.
“I made no other trip to that country, not even in a personal capacity,” she wrote. She said official records and public video of both visits will show she “never took part” in the conduct attributed to her.
The Fiscalía has 10 working days to answer her request, El Tiempo noted. Grau rejected Ferrer’s account as false in a letter on Wednesday and announced criminal and civil action against her.
Pressure Builds in Bogotá
Ferrer skipped a third summons from the Fiscalía on Wednesday because she is outside Colombia, her lawyer, Jhony Batalla, said. He has filed a protection request and says she is ready to give a statement and evidence in Colombia or the United States.
Batalla said he does not yet know what evidence Ferrer holds. He told Semana the defence has not contacted US authorities, but that she would appear if the State Department calls.
Cambio Radical, a centre-right party co-led by Enrique Vargas, asked OFAC to examine whether Petro’s ex-wife and her circle belong on its blacklist, Infobae reported. OFAC has not announced any new step on her listing or on anyone close to her.
On Saturday 10 October De La Espriella ordered an Air Force inquiry and asked US authorities to examine the claims as well. The Procuraduría, the watchdog that disciplines public servants, then summoned Ferrer to testify under oath.
What It Means for You
For US banks, companies and individuals, the statement changes nothing, because Petro’s ex-wife was already blacklisted and her US-linked assets stay blocked. US persons remain generally barred from dealing with her, Petro, Nicolás Petro or Benedetti without an OFAC licence.
The wider signal is political, as Washington pairs pressure on Petro’s circle with warm words for his successor’s government. For investors in Colombia, the statement points to warmer ties with Bogotá rather than new sanctions on the country.
Travellers face no change, and the case remains a set of allegations that Colombian prosecutors and the watchdog have only begun to test. Alcocer, Petro and everyone named are entitled to the presumption of innocence.
What Is Not Known
No US agency has said whether it will investigate the flights itself or add anyone to the sanctions list. It is unclear whether Ferrer holds the photos and documents she describes, since her cash claim rests on what she says Grau told her.
Grau denies that account, and the Fiscalía has not said whether the new claims will join an existing anti-corruption inquiry. It is also unclear when Ferrer will testify, though Semana says she plans to appear before the Procuraduría by video link.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Verónica Alcocer?
Verónica Alcocer is Petro’s ex-wife and was Colombia’s first lady during his 2022 to 2026 presidency. Petro wrote on X in August 2026 that he had signed their divorce.
What did the US State Department say about Alcocer?
A spokesperson said on Wednesday 14 October that Washington is aware of claims that she flew narcotics to Venezuela and returned with US$2.5 million. The official recalled her October 2025 sanctions designation but announced no new measure.
Why is Alcocer under US sanctions?
The Treasury listed her on 24 October 2025 for allegedly giving Petro financial or material support, goods or services. It sanctioned Petro the same day, accusing him of letting drug cartels flourish.
Has Alcocer been charged with a crime?
No, nothing has been proven and nobody has been charged over Ferrer’s claims. Petro’s ex-wife denies them and says she made only two official trips to Venezuela, both in 2023.
Sources: US Treasury, Treasury Sanctions Colombian President Gustavo Petro and His Support Network, 24 October 2025; OFAC, Counter Narcotics Designations (SDN list update), 24 October 2025; El Tiempo, Estados Unidos se pronuncia sobre denuncias contra Verónica Alcocer, 14 October 2026; NTN24, El Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. se pronuncia sobre señalamientos contra Verónica Alcocer, 14 October 2026; Infobae, Gobierno Trump estaba al tanto (Noticias Caracol correspondent; Treasury statement), 14 October 2026; NTN24, Departamento del Tesoro reaccionó a los señalamientos contra Verónica Alcocer, 13 October 2026; El Tiempo, Verónica Alcocer habló tras denuncias de Eva Ferrer, 14 October 2026; El Tiempo, Eva Ferrer está dispuesta a entregar evidencia a Estados Unidos, 14 October 2026; Semana, Defensa de Eva Ferrer dispuesta a atender llamados de la justicia de EE. UU., 14 October 2026; Infobae, Cambio Radical pidió al Departamento del Tesoro investigar a Verónica Alcocer, 14 October 2026; Noticias Caracol, Petro, Alcocer, Nicolás Petro y Benedetti seguirán en la Lista Clinton, 7 October 2026; Minuto30, De La Espriella ordena investigación en la Fuerza Aérea, 11 October 2026; Publimetro Colombia, Petro y el divorcio con Verónica Alcocer, 13 August 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief