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The U.S. State Department has committed $1 billion in security assistance to support Colombia’s newly inaugurated right-wing president, Abelardo De La Espriella, as part of a comprehensive effort to dismantle transnational narco-terrorism operations. The funding package marks a significant expansion of bilateral cooperation between Washington and Bogotá in addressing drug trafficking and related security threats.
Congressional Representative Mario Diaz-Balart issued statements characterizing the announcement as marking “the beginning of a new chapter for Colombia and its people.” Diaz-Balart, along with U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and DEA Administrator Terry Cole, comprised part of the American delegation that attended De La Espriella’s Friday inauguration ceremony in Cali.
Blanche characterized the inaugural event as the foundation for renewed partnership efforts, stating that the delegation witnessed “the start of a new friendship and partnership working as a team in the fight against drug trafficking.” Cole, a former Virginia secretary of public safety, echoed the sentiment, vowing that the DEA would collaborate with Colombian authorities to eliminate safe havens for traffickers and those profiting from cocaine operations.
De La Espriella, 48, holds dual citizenship in both the United States and Colombia. The U.S. delegation included representatives from the embassy in Bogotá, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Security Council, the State Department’s Western Hemisphere bureau, and the Joint Task Force Vulcan.
Colombian security forces reported a car bombing at a toll booth on Saturday that injured two guards, attributed to a leftist guerrilla faction. Newly appointed Defense Minister General Jorge Mora pledged that “recovering security, order, and tranquility will be our priority,” vowing that “Colombia will once again live without fear.”
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