Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Sunday he will file a criminal lawsuit against his Ecuadorian counterpart Daniel Noboa, who accused him of having ties to members of an opposition party connected to a major drug trafficker, deepening a bitter trade dispute between the neighboring nations.
Noboa alleged Saturday that Petro had met with members of Ecuador’s largest political opposition party, some of whom “have ties to Fito.” He was referring to Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito,” leader of one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations, who was extradited to the United States last year on drug- and weapon-trafficking charges.
The Ecuadorian president did not provide evidence to support the claim. Petro has denied knowing Macías, and announced the planned lawsuit on X without revealing details about where he intends to file it.
The confrontation represents a sharp escalation in the ideological and economic conflict between the two leaders, whose countries have been locked in a trade war marked by steadily rising tariffs on Colombian imports since January.
Petro’s Response
Petro noted in his Sunday statement that Noboa had ordered the Ecuadorian Army to provide him 24-hour protection during a May visit to the coastal city of Manta, where Noboa’s second-term inauguration took place. Manta has long served as a hub for cocaine trafficking originating in Colombia.
The Trade War’s Origins
The diplomatic crisis began in January when Noboa unilaterally imposed tariffs on Colombian imports, citing inadequate border control. Colombia responded with its own tariffs and suspended energy sales. Ecuador has progressively increased its tariff from 30 percent to 50 percent, with a 100 percent tariff set to take effect next month.
Ecuador’s government did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.