US revokes visas for over 60 Colombian and Bolivian officials over drug trafficking
Washington withdrew visas from over 60 senior Colombian and Bolivian officials linked to drug trafficking or corruption. Among those affected is former Ecopetrol president Ricardo Roa Barragán.
Washington revokes visas for over 60 Colombian and Bolivian officials over drug trafficking links
The United States Department of State announced on Thursday the withdrawal of visas for over 60 officials, senior figures and personalities from Colombia and Bolivia, according to dw.com. The measures target individuals allegedly linked to drug trafficking or corruption.
"Today, the State Department is expanding its campaign against corruption and drug trafficking in our region," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an official statement. Rubio also recalled that the leaders of the Shield of the Americas alliance—promoted by President Donald Trump to combat organised crime on the continent—agreed to multiply these joint efforts.
Colombia: former Ecopetrol president and regional politician among those sanctioned
Among the 21 people affected in Colombia is Ricardo Roa Barragán, former president of the state-owned oil company Ecopetrol and former campaign manager for the campaign that brought President Gustavo Petro to power in 2022. Also on the list is Yahir Acuña, current mayor of Sincelejo, capital of the department of Sucre, in Caribbean Colombia.
Bolivia: judges, legislators and prosecutors on the list
In Bolivia, the measure affected 40 citizens. Among them are judge Julio Alba Flores and magistrate Aldo Quezada, both from Santa Cruz, as well as several legislators and former attorney general Juan Lanchipa Ponce.
Also affected were Julio César Porras Velarde, co-ordinating prosecutor of the Controlled Substances Unit of Santa Cruz, and Rony Suárez Milliet, investigated in the framework of international investigations into Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset.
This is not the first action of this kind against Bolivia: at the end of September, Washington had already withdrawn visas from around twenty senior Bolivian officials, including attorney general Roger Mariaca, who was detained by police shortly after that sanction.
Source: Google News CO — Crime