Colombia’s ELN defends its name against US drug boat claims
(MENAFN) Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), the country’s largest rebel organization, has rejected U.S. claims linking it to a drug-smuggling vessel destroyed by the American military in the Caribbean.
The incident occurred on Friday, when a vessel was struck by the U.S. Navy. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later shared footage of the operation on X, asserting that intelligence reports indicated the boat was “affiliated” with the ELN and “involved in illicit narcotics smuggling.”
Responding on Tuesday, the ELN issued a statement on social media denying any involvement. The group said it “does not and will not have any boat connected with drug trafficking activities, neither in the Caribbean nor any other ocean.” It added that narcotics smuggling is “simply… prohibited” under its internal rules.
The ELN, a Marxist-inspired rebel group founded in the mid-1960s, has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Colombian state. The United States, the European Union, and several other nations classify it as a terrorist organization, while Washington claims the group also maintains operations in neighboring Venezuela.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the U.S. strike, which reportedly killed three people, saying the boat belonged to a “humble family” and was not involved in narcotics trafficking.
Earlier this month, Petro denounced the series of American attacks on boats off Venezuela’s coast — which began in September — as “an aggression against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.” He accused the U.S. of seeking dominance over the region’s oil resources rather than combating drug trafficking.
Venezuelan authorities have similarly criticized the operations, calling them part of Washington’s alleged campaign to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. Caracas has denied any connection to drug cartels and vowed to resist any foreign intervention.
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