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 ...