WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration last week imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade, escalating tensions with the leader of one of the closest American allies in South America.

The Treasury Department leveled the penalties against Petro; his wife, Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia; his son, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos; and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Alberto Benedetti.

Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs into our nation.”

The move ramps up a growing clash between Trump and Colombia’s first leftist leader, notably over deadly American strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats off South America.

Last week, the Trump administration expanded its crackdown to the eastern Pacific Ocean, where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers, including Colombia, is smuggled.

In an escalation of military firepower in the region, the United States military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, the Pentagon announced last week.

The United States last month added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years.

Following that decision, the State Department is “slashing assistance for Colombia,” spokesman Tommy Pigott said on social media.