The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb cocaine smuggling into the country — a move that sharply escalates tensions between Washington and one of its longtime Latin American partners.

Announcing the sanctions, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said cocaine production in Colombia has surged to its highest level in decades under Petro’s leadership, “flooding the United States and poisoning Americans.”

President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” Bessent said, adding that President Donald Trump’s administration is “taking strong action to protect our nation.”

Petro dismissed the allegations as “lies,” saying his government has achieved record cocaine seizures and slowed the expansion of coca cultivation since 2021. “My government did not increase cocaine, it did the opposite,” he wrote on X.

The Colombian leader, who has sought peace deals with rebel and criminal groups, called the sanctions “a complete paradox” and said he has no assets in the U.S. He also confirmed hiring a U.S. lawyer to contest the move.

Along with Petro, the sanctions also target his wife and son, as well as Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, under U.S. laws that allow actions against individuals linked to global drug trafficking.

On X, Benedetti denounced the decision as proof that Washington’s anti-narcotics campaign is a “sham.”

The rare step places Petro among a handful of sanctioned sitting heads of state — a list that includes the leaders of Russia, Venezuela, and North Korea.