Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced that he will not extradite drug traffickers to the United States if they agree to negotiate with his government and leave the drug trafficking business.
Petro made the announcement on Wednesday during a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The Colombian president conveyed his position to the United States on Tuesday in a meeting with the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Rahul Gupta.
They will negotiate with Petro's government before
"Drug traffickers who do not negotiate with the State will be extradited. Drug traffickers who negotiate with the State and reoffend will be extradited, without any type of negotiation, to the United States. A drug trafficker who negotiates legal benefits with the Colombian state and stops being a drug trafficker will not be extradited," said Petro.
🔴 #EnDirecto | Joint statement by President @petrogustavo and the President of the Government of Spain, @sanchezcastejon. #TogetherColombiaSpain 🇨🇪 https://t.co/qE0SVbwDQi
- Presidency Colombia 🇨 (@infopresidencia) August 24, 2022
The President explained that he proposed to the United States four changes in the treatment of extradition cases, but did not mention the other points. "That's where we started, now the dialogues with the government in Washington will continue."
The U.S. does not commit
For his part, U.S. official Rahul Gupta, during a press conference with the Colombian ambassador to the United States, said:
The Biden Administration is in a new era of drug policy that is holistic, science-based, compassionate and people-centered.
Gupta added:
Today's discussions symbolize the importance of this work as a shared responsibility, and that is why President Biden is taking strong action to reduce drug use and the harms it creates.
🔴 #EnDirecto | Joint Statement by Colombian Ambassador-designate to the United States, Luis Gilberto Murillo and Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta . https://t.co/N3iuK2w4bs
- Presidency Colombia 🇨 (@infopresidencia) August 23, 2022
Gustavo Petro intends to hold new negotiations with terrorist groups such as the ELN and criminal gangs such as the Clan del Golfo to grant them legal benefits.
