Colombia has reversed a ban on intelligence sharing with Washington, with Interior Minister Armando Benedetti describing the suspension as based on "a misinterpretation by the Colombian press and some high government officials," AFP reported.

Earlier this week, President Gustavo Petro ordered all levels of public security force intelligence services to halt communications and dealings with US security agencies, stating the measure would remain in place as long as missile attacks on alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean, mostly hailing from Venezuela, continued. The directive prompted immediate criticism from opposition politicians and former military officials, who warned the suspension could hinder both drug interdiction efforts and operations against domestic armed groups.

Benedetti clarified on November 13 that US control agencies, including the FBI, DEA and HSI, would continue operating alongside Colombian intelligence agencies Dipol, Dijín and CTI in combating narcotics trafficking and organised crime. Petro subsequently stated that intelligence coordination would proceed for seizures, but would protect human rights and seek to avoid civilian casualties.

Since 1999, the US and Colombia have maintained close cooperation in combating narco-trafficking. Colombian officials claim that 85% of intelligence used by US interdiction task forces originates from national sources, whilst Colombia accounted for 65% of global cocaine seizures last year. Historic captures, including drug lords Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha in 1989 and Pablo Escobar in 1993, benefited from US intelligence support.

The latest policy reversal occurred amid escalating tensions between Bogotá and Washington following 19 US military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels since early September that killed 76 people, according to Pentagon announcements. 

The US deployment in the Caribbean now reportedly exceeds 15,000 personnel, the largest military buildup in the region in three decades. On November 11, the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier carrying more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of aircraft, arrived in the area, in the latest twist of a pressure strategy analysts believe is aimed at unseating Venezuelan authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control placed Petro, his wife Verónica Alcocer, son Nicolás and Benedetti on its sanctions list on October 24 for allegedly enabling drug cartels, freezing their US assets and blocking transactions with American persons. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said cocaine production in Colombia reached record highs since the leftist president assumed office in 2022, though similar increases occurred under his predecessor.

Petro recently announced the appointment of Marcela Tovar, current Drug Policy Director at the Justice Ministry, as ambassador to the UN and Austria in Vienna, where international drug policy debates occur. He stated the nomination formed part of efforts to "decolonise" the fight against drug traffickers whilst maintaining respect for international norms.

The Trump administration maintains that military operations against alleged drug traffickers are justified, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth vowing to "find and terminate every vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America." The US strategy may gain support after Colombia's presidential and legislative elections next year, where right-wing opposition parties that favour closer security cooperation with Washington are seeking to regain power.