Here’s a detailed breakdown of the situation in which Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, is accusing the United States Government of committing ‘murder’ in connection with a maritime strike — including what is reported, what is being claimed and what remains unclear.

What is being reported

The U.S. Ops

• Since the start of September 2025, the U.S. has been making a lot of noise about a bunch of strikes they have carried out against small boats and semi-submersible vessels in the Caribbean Sea, just off the coast of Venezuela – as reported by Encyclopedia Britannica.
• For example, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth of the U.S. announced a strike back in September, claiming the target was a small boat they accused of carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
• The U.S. Government is saying this is all part of a broader anti-narcotics campaign – labelling some of the targets as narco-traffickers or affiliated with various organisations they have designated. We have President Donald Trump even saying that a boat they destroyed was loaded up with mostly fentanyl, and other illicit narcotics. (The Washington Post)
• There have been strikes which have resulted in survivors being captured and sent back to their home countries (Colombia and Ecuador) to face detention or prosecution.www.bbc.com

The Colombian side / President Petro’s Claims

• President Petro has come out and said that one of the targeted boats may have actually been flying the Colombian flag or carrying Colombian citizens – he even went so far as to say as much in a public statement. For example, he wrote: “Signs are pointing towards the fact that the last boat they bombed was actually a Colombian boat with Colombian citizens on board.”
• He’s gone further than that and accused the U.S. of ‘murder’ and violating Colombian sovereignty in their territorial waters. For instance:“US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in our own territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza was no drug trafficker and his daily catch was fishing.”
• He’s maintained that the boat in question was drifting and had its distress signal on, indicating it wasn’t doing anything aggressive.
• At the United Nations General Assembly, Petro called for a ‘criminal process’ to be started against Donald Trump – claiming the strikes were unlawful and resulted in extrajudicial killings.

On the Sovereignty and Casualty claim

• The Colombian claim centres around the fact that a fisherman by the name of Alejandro Carranza (allegedly Colombian) got killed in a September strike while just out fishing – and he had zero ties to the drug trade.
• The Colombians are saying this all happened in their territorial waters.
• The U.S. Government hasn’t come out and confirmed the identities of the victims, or even said for sure who was in the boat in all these reported cases. There’s no real evidence proving any of it either. For example: “He didn’t expound on what those signs were.”

Why the issue is disputed / key points

1. Sovereignty and territorial waters
   • If the boat was in Colombian territorial waters (12 nautical miles from shore, or more depending on claims) and it was indeed Colombian-flagged, then a U.S. military strike without Colombia’s consent would raise big questions under international law.
   • Petro says exactly that: “violated our sovereignty in our territorial waters.” (Mehr News Agency)
2. Lethal force vs. law enforcement
   • The Colombian side argues: if the target was an unarmed fishing boat with no links to trafficking, then using missiles is “murder” not law enforcement. “They just destroyed another boat with three people… Killing three passengers on an unarmed, unarmored boat with a missile is murder.” (teleSURenglish)
   • U.S. framing: the targeted boats are part of “narcotrafficking” operations, and hence treated under a militarised doctrine rather than simple interdiction. That raises questions whether these are armed conflicts or standard criminal law enforcement. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
3. Evidence and transparency
   • The U.S. has not released full information on the victims’ identities, the nationality of the boat and crew, or definitive proof of their alleged drug-trafficking. Petro says he’s waiting for explanations. (Digital Journal)
   • Legal experts say summary killings – even of traffickers – can be illegal if proper process isn’t followed. (Digital Journal)
4. Regional geopolitics
   • Some analysts and regional states (eg. Venezuela) say these operations are less about drugs and more about U.S. military presence in the Caribbean and pressure on Venezuela. Petro too links the strikes to broader power politics (“a new front … the Caribbean”). (South China Morning Post)
   • Colombia and the U.S. are long-time security partners in the war on drugs. These attacks strain that relationship as Colombia accuses the U.S. of overstepping.

What we don’t know / what remains unclear

• Which boat and which date the Fisherman Carranza incident happened, beyond “September strike”. The Colombian claim is specific but there’s limited publicly available documentation.
• Whether the boat in question was Colombian, or flagged under another country, or the crew were Colombian nationals (Petro says “signs” point to this) and what those signs were.
• Whether the boat was in Colombian territorial waters or international waters — the exact location is not publicly disclosed.
• Public proof the targeted vessel was not a drug-smuggling vessel (Colombia says the fisherman “had no ties”), or proof the U.S. claim (those targeted were traffickers) was true. The U.S. hasn’t released full identities or evidence.
• The legal basis under U.S. domestic or international law for the strike: was congressional authorization for using military force invoked, is this an armed conflict (as claimed by the U.S.) or standard criminal law enforcement?
• After-action reports with details on how many were killed in each strike, how many were captured, what evidence existed etc.

Why it matters

• International law / human rights: If a state’s citizens are killed by another state’s military without legal basis or transparency it may be considered extrajudicial killing or violation of sovereignty.
• U.S.–Colombia relations: Colombia is one of the U.S.’s largest Latin American security partners. Such accusations (“murder”, “violation of sovereignty”) may strain diplomatic, military and counter-narcotics cooperation.
• Precedent for maritime counter-narcotics operations: The U.S. treating narcotics vessels as military targets (not standard law enforcement) is a new development — and raises questions where the line is drawn especially if civilians are at risk.
• Regional stability: The Caribbean Sea and the waters adjacent to Venezuela are emerging as a region of heightened military engagement. Should nations such as Colombia assert their territorial waters or if their citizens are subjected to attacks, this may lead to an escalation of tensions within the region.
• Accountability and transparency: In the absence of publicly accessible evidence, it becomes challenging for domestic legal systems or international organizations to evaluate whether the strikes were lawful or justified. The notion of “unaccountable killings” contributes to instability and erodes trust.

Summary

In summary: President Gustavo Petro of Colombia asserts that the U.S. “murdered” one of the boat strikes, alleging that the fisherman (Alejandro Carranza) was Colombian, had no connections to drugs, and that the strike occurred in Colombian territorial waters, thereby infringing upon sovereignty. The U.S. has conducted multiple strikes against drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean; however, it has not disclosed comprehensive details regarding the victims or the legal justification for these actions. The conflict encompasses disputed facts (identity, location, legal justification) and broader issues of international law, state sovereignty, and maritime military operations.

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