Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro that he could be charged as an accomplice of the Cartel de los Soles in recent posts to X (formerly Twitter).
For additional context, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro's second-in-command, Diosdado Cabello, recently announced the deployment of troops along Venezuela's border with Colombia, supposedly to defend the country's sovereignty ahead of an American invasion, as the United States has deployed along the Colombian coast.
While Colombia is aware of the situation, they are not deploying its own army in the area, but is part of a binational security agreement with Venezuela.
"Mr. @petrogustavo, is what Diosdado says true, or are you going to deny it?" Rep. Gimenez said in a post to X, translated from Spanish, "If Petro cooperates with Diosdado and the Cártel de los Soles, he would be an accomplice to a transnational drug trafficking enterprise and could be charged by American justice."
¿Señor @petrogustavo lo que dice Diosdado es cierto o lo vas a desmentir?
Si Petro coopera con Diosdado y el Cártel de los Soles, sería cómplice de una empresa narcotraficante transnacional y podría ser imputado por la justicia americana. https://t.co/I80vwVS0v0
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) August 25, 2025
Cartel de los Soles ("Cartel of the Suns") is the supposed drug cartel owned by or in alliance with the Venezuelan government. Thus Attorney General Pam Bondi recently posted a $50 million bounty for Maduro's capture.
However, President Petro denies the existence of the cartel, recently saying on X, "It is the fictitious excuse of the extreme right to overthrow governments that do not obey them."
"The passage of Colombian cocaine through Venezuela is controlled by the Drug Trafficking Junta, and its bosses live in Europe and the Middle East," Petro continued, adding, "I proposed to the USA and Venezuela that we together destroy that cartel. It is about coordinating, not subjugating. The political problem in Venezuela must be resolved among Venezuelans themselves, through dialogue and more democracy. A decarbonized Venezuela should be the goal: The great Colombia, a world power of life and an essential pillar of Latin American unity and peace."
Rep. Gimenez countered that Petro's remarks only look more incriminating.
"Gustavo Petro has just signed his own sentence. In the United States Congress, we will not take this as a joke. On the contrary, it is extremely serious," the Florida Congressman concluded, again translated from Spanish.
🚨Gustavo Petro acaba de firmar su propia sentencia.
En el Congreso de Estados Unidos, no tomaremos esto de chiste. Al contrario, es gravísimo. https://t.co/erKKzXry3q
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) August 25, 2025
