Former Minister accuses Colombia's President of drug abuse
Colombia’s political landscape took a dramatic turn after a former top minister publicly accused President Gustavo Petro of drug addiction, a claim the leftist leader swiftly denied.
In an open letter, 82-year-old Alvaro Leyva, ex-foreign minister and once a close ally of Petro, alleged that the president went missing for two days during an official trip to Paris in 2023. “It was in Paris that I was able to confirm that you have a drug addiction problem,” Leyva wrote. “These were embarrassing moments for me as a person and as foreign minister,” he added, without providing further details.
Petro responded to the allegation on social media, calling it slander. “I’ve simply been slandered”. “During an official visit by a head of state to France, there is always direct and permanent physical protection from the French secret service.” He said the two days in question were spent with his daughter and grandchildren who reside in Paris. “I am addicted to love,” Petro added.
Opposition lawmakers seized on Leyva’s claims, demanding the president submit to drug and psychiatric tests to prove he is “fit to govern.” The accusation adds to a long-running narrative among Petro’s critics, who have pointed to his occasional tardiness and past incidents as signs of alleged substance abuse. Petro, who once apologized for appearing drunk at a campaign event, has consistently denied having a drug problem. He has also courted controversy with his liberal views on narcotics, often downplaying the dangers of cocaine and advocating for drug legalization. “Whiskey kills more,” he once claimed.
Leyva, despite his conservative roots, had been a loyal supporter of Petro and served as a peace negotiator for successive Colombian administrations. His ties to the president began to unravel in early 2024, when he was suspended by the inspector general over alleged mismanagement of a passport tender. Petro had defended Leyva at the time, calling the suspension politically motivated.
Since then, Leyva has periodically hinted at Petro’s alleged drug use, but Wednesday’s open letter marked his most direct accusation to date. Petro dismissed the attack, suggesting that Leyva’s claims were less compelling than his family and the city itself. “Isn’t Paris full of parks, museums, bookstores more interesting than the letter’s writer, to spend two days in?” Petro wrote. “Don’t I have daughters and granddaughters in Paris who are far more interesting than the writer?”
Under Petro’s presidency, Colombia’s cocaine production has reached record highs, while government eradication efforts have slowed. Amid ongoing criticism, the president recently insisted his only addiction is to coffee, a mainstay of Colombia’s agriculture and national identity.
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