President Gustavo Petro has linked the seizure of 635 kilograms of cocaine in Buenaventura to a shift in drug trafficking routes, advocating for the legalization and regulation of consumption as an alternative to coordinated global law enforcement against these networks.
The president asserted that the seized shipment did not originate in Colombia but in Ecuador, with its destination identified as Vietnam. This, he argues, illustrates the expansion of a multinational cocaine market. The drugs were confiscated at Colombia’s main Pacific port, ready for international shipment. According to Petro, this incident necessitates a reassessment of how distribution routes are understood and pursued.
Petro described the find as indicative of a reconfiguration in global drug trafficking, stating that it did not stem from the Colombian Pacific and was not headed to the historically linked market of the United States. He emphasized, «Acabamos de incautar 635 kilogramos de cocaína en Buenaventura. Ojo este dato que cambia la mirada mundial de la cocaína.» He further noted, «Esta cocaína no venía del Pacífico de Colombia sino del Ecuador, y su destino no era Estados Unidos sino Vietnam.» 
The head of state believes this trajectory reaffirms his assertion that drug trafficking operates as a “multinational and confederated” network. He pointed out that the operations of these organizations are increasingly relocating to Ecuador, which he identified as a territory where some of the violence related to drug trade is shifting.
This analysis prompted him to request an expansion of international judicial reach. Petro argued that U.S. justice should extend the prohibition of cocaine exports globally if leaders extradited for shipping drugs to the U.S. seek legal benefits.
According to him, “EEUU tiene una gran responsabilidad en este tema y la ONU, o se hace una lucha coherente contra las mafias de la cocaína y sus aliados políticos o es mejor legalizar y regular bien con políticas de salud pública de prevención como se hizo con el whisky y el alcohol antes que crezca más el monstruo y nos devore a todos.”
Moreover, the president connected the shipment’s destination to broader geopolitical threats, suggesting that if the drugs were directed at Vietnam, they could eventually reach China, where he indicated cocaine consumption is on the rise, or Thailand, which could serve as an entry point to India. He cautioned that this expansion into Asian countries would significantly affect demographic factors, given that nearly half of the world’s population resides in that region.
Petro warned that American democracies would become vulnerable to defeat by increasingly capable criminal organizations. In his message, he stated, “Se ha creado un monstruo que puede acabar las democracias latinoamericanas y muchas mundiales.” He added that without a coherent strategy, “la mafia de la cocaína se vuelve multicrimen y tomará el mercado del fentanilo.”
Additionally, Petro dismissed critiques of his stance on legalization, asserting that he has risked his life to reduce the power of drug cartels over the Colombian state. He claimed successes such as voluntary eradication of crops and actual reductions in coca leaf cultivation but noted that the cartels have evolved and relocated to “luxury cities worldwide.” He concluded by stating that the government’s efforts and those of security forces illustrate a new reality amid challenges to democracies.
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