US removes Venezuela and Bolivia from list of countries failing on drugs

The United States government removed Venezuela and Bolivia from the category of countries that Washington says have failed to demonstrably combat international drug trafficking, while keeping Colombia, Afghanistan and Myanmar on that list. The determination, sent to Congress on Tuesday and released by the State Department on Wednesday, is part of the annual assessment of the 23 countries deemed major drug transit or producing states, five of which had been designated last year as having “failed demonstrably.” In Venezuela's case, the State Department attributed the change to the arrest and removal of former President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, following a US-led military operation, and to subsequent cooperation from the interim government of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, particularly against the Tren de Aragua gang, whose leader, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero, was killed in June in a separate US military operation. “Given the positive steps taken under the interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez, I have determined Venezuela should no longer be designated as having failed demonstrably to fulfill its drug control commitments,” the statement reads. Venezuela had been classified as non-compliant since 2005, when Hugo Chávez expelled the US drug enforcement agency from the country; this is the first time in more than twenty years it has left that category. The 2020 indictment accusing Maduro of leading the so-called Cartel de los Soles, an organization for whose existence there is no solid evidence, was dropped following his arrest. Venezuela remains, however, on the broader list of 23 countries. Colombia, by contrast, remains decertified for a second consecutive year, with explicit criticism of outgoing President Gustavo Petro over record levels of coca cultivation and cocaine production, but with praise for President Abelardo de la Espriella, in office since August 7. “Colombia is poised to resume its place as our foremost security partner in the hemisphere,” said the message Trump sent to Congress, which raised the possibility of reversing the decertification in 2027 if the country makes progress on eradication and dismantling criminal networks. As in 2025, Trump granted Colombia a waiver averting the suspension of security cooperation and the financial restrictions that normally follow decertification, including the US obligation to oppose the country's loans at multilateral institutions. On the same September 15, the State Department said it was redirecting US$52 million in military financing to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama, at the expense of four other countries. The UN had recorded 261,000 hectares planted with coca in Colombia as of December 2024, a historic high that Petro disclosed in June following a dispute with the agency over the release of the data; De la Espriella often cites a figure of 300,000 hectares without specifying his source. The new Colombian president has made the fight against organized crime a central plank of his administration, in contrast with his predecessor's approach of negotiating with various armed groups. “Whoever persists in drug trafficking, terrorism or organized crime will find the full legitimate force of the state,” he said a few weeks ago while presenting the outlines of his security policy. Top Comments Disclaimer & comment rulesNo comments for this story Please log in or register (it’s free!) to comment. Login with Facebook