Trump removes Venezuela from US narco status list, hints at Colombia next

The Trump administration pulled Venezuela off the list of countries that have “failed demonstrably” to meet international counternarcotics obligations, a diplomatic reward for the post-Maduro government’s cooperation against drug trafficking organizations. The move, announced September 16 as part of the annual Presidential Determination, signals a broader thaw in US-Venezuelan relations that could reshape the geopolitical landscape across Latin America.

Colombia, meanwhile, wasn’t so lucky. It stayed on the list for the second consecutive year, though President Trump dangled the possibility of removal in 2027 if the country’s new leadership delivers measurable results against coca cultivation and trafficking networks.

What the delisting actually means

Every year, the White House publishes a list identifying 23 major drug transit or producing countries and evaluates whether each is holding up its end of the international counternarcotics bargain. Getting tagged as “failed demonstrably” is more than a diplomatic insult. It can trigger sanctions and jeopardize foreign aid eligibility, making it one of the sharper tools in Washington’s soft-power toolkit.

Venezuela’s removal from that list is directly tied to the political upheaval that followed Nicolás Maduro’s ousting in January 2026. The interim government under President Delcy Rodríguez has apparently made enough progress, particularly against the Tren de Aragua criminal network, to convince Washington that cooperation is genuine.

Colombia’s uphill climb

Colombia’s situation is considerably more complicated. Its designation on the failed list marks the second year running under Trump’s evaluation, a streak that began in September 2025 with the first such action against Colombia in nearly three decades.

The administration placed blame squarely on the policies of former President Gustavo Petro, whose approach to coca eradication drew sharp criticism from Washington. Record coca cultivation and cocaine production levels during the Petro era effectively made decertification inevitable, according to the administration’s assessment.

Now the question falls to President Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombia’s new leader, who faces the unenviable task of reversing deeply entrenched agricultural and trafficking patterns while proving to Washington that his government is a reliable partner. Trump’s comments suggest de la Espriella has roughly a year to show meaningful progress on eradicating coca crops and dismantling trafficking infrastructure.

The US has retained assistance to both nations through national-interest waivers, a mechanism that essentially says “we still think you’re failing, but cutting you off entirely would hurt us too.”

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