'Will show you how its done': Petro invites Trump to cocaine lab demolition as Colombia amid US threat

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has invited US President Donald Trump to witness the demolition of cocaine laboratories as his country faces the threat of an American attack for allegedly peddling narcotics to the US.

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump singled out Colombia for producing cocaine and selling it into the US. “I hear Colombia, the country of Colombia, is making cocaine. They have cocaine manufacturing plants, oK, and then they sell us their cocaine,” he said.

“Anybody that’s doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack,” he added.

Petro quickly reacted to his warning, saying that his government has destroyed 18,400 cocaine laboratories “without missiles”.

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“Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump. Come with me, and I’ll show you how they are destroyed, one laboratory every 40 minutes," he said.

The Colombian leader also warned that a threat to his country’s sovereignty was a declaration of war that “will awaken a Jaguar”. “Do not damage two centuries of diplomatic relations. You have already slandered me; do not continue down that path," Petro said.

Still, Colombia remains the main source of cocaine entering the United States: according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, 84 per cent of the cocaine seized in the country in 2024 came from Colombia.

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The Trump administration has deployed a large military presence across Latin America, saying it aims to curb drug shipments moving from Venezuela to the U.S. It has also launched missile strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, actions that have reportedly killed at least 83 people.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire for ordering two strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, the second attack only to kill remaining survivors of the vessel.

Hegseth has said that he “did not personally see survivors” before a second attack on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat was ordered. His statement comes as the Trump administration faces heat from lawmakers over the use of military force.

An initial strike reportedly left two survivors clinging to the burning vessel, but a second strike was allegedly ordered, killing them. The September 2 strike has raised concerns that US forces may have breached the laws of armed conflict.