President Gustavo Petro says he has sent 400 of the 403 extraditable individuals to the United States: "I'm seeing if they make peace."

During his September 17 speech, President Gustavo Petro addressed extraditions following the United States ' request to reactivate the judicial surrender of drug trafficking leaders.

President Petro revealed during his speech that his administration has 403 extraditable individuals. Of these, the head of state asserts, 400 have been sent to appear before U.S. justice.

" I'm seeing if three of them will make peace. If they do, they'll stay in Colombia , just as others who have made peace and are here have stayed in Colombia," the president said.

Petro asserted that this process would mean a peaceful solution for these individuals, who have outstanding legal issues for their actions. "Because Article 22 of the National Constitution states that peace is a right," he asserted in defense of his policy of total peace.

Petro's statements contrast with what was reported in the United States' annual assessment of the country. It revealed that one of the areas where Colombia failed was extradition . This is due to the government's refusal to extradite leaders of the illegal armed groups that control drug trafficking.

It's worth remembering that the Casa de Nariño has refused to send leaders like "Mocho Olmedo," of the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents; alias "HH," of the "Comuneros del Sur"; and alias "Araña," of the "Comandos de la Frontera," to the United States for their crimes.

During a discussion with business leaders from the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce, the acting U.S. ambassador to Colombia, John McNamara, urged President Petro's administration to implement two actions to reverse the decertification. These are: reducing coca crops and lifting the suspension of extraditions.

“We urgently call for the reinstatement of extraditions of narco-terrorists, not just some, but all of them , by lifting the current suspensions. This is a key measure to guarantee the security of both countries ,” McNamara said.

According to the ambassador's statements, despite the country's seizure efforts, it has not been able to maintain the pace of potential cocaine production. " In 2021, Colombia seized an estimated 54 percent of its estimated production ; in 2022, it fell to 39 percent, and further decreased in 2023 to 32 percent," the diplomat said.

María Paula Rodríguez Rozo

Journalist for the LATEST NEWS EDITORIAL