The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, announced that he will file a slander lawsuit against his Ecuadorian counterpart, Daniel Noboa, following allegations linking him to the Ecuadorian drug trafficker known as alias “Fito.”
The decision adds a new element of tension to a bilateral relationship that had already been rapidly deteriorating due to political, trade, and security disputes along the shared border, a situation that began earlier this year and does not appear to be nearing a resolution.
In this context, the announcement of legal action is—for now—the latest chapter in the spiral of disagreements between the presidents of the two neighboring countries. It also comes amid an escalation of tensions between Bogota and Quito that has included the withdrawal of ambassadors, the imposition of tariffs of up to 100%, and mutual accusations related to drug trafficking and border violence.
The controversy over Noboa’s statements adds a personal dimension—which in reality has existed implicitly from the very beginning—to a conflict that had already reached critical levels.
Colombia’s Petro to sue Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa
The immediate trigger of the crisis was a statement by Noboa in which he suggested that Petro had indirect ties to the drug trafficker Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” leader of one of Ecuador’s main criminal organizations.
According to those accounts, the Colombian president had allegedly been in contact with individuals linked to that circle—allegations that are not new—although no public evidence has been presented.
Petro reacted forcefully. He denied knowing “Fito” and described the allegations as slander. In that context, he announced that he will file a criminal complaint against Noboa, arguing that the accusations damage his reputation and Colombia’s institutional integrity.
“I have decided to file a criminal lawsuit against President Noboa for his slander,” Gustavo Petro wrote yesterday on his X social media account. Regarding a possible meeting with alias “Fito” during his visit to Ecuador, the president of Colombia said that “Noboa himself gave the order, as he should, for the Ecuadorian army to protect me at all times, day and night, in Manta, where I went on the day of his inauguration.”
In this regard, Petro maintained that during his stay in the neighboring country he was accompanied at all times not only by the Ecuadorian army, as a guarantor of his security, but also by his Colombian security detail, “who can testify under oath, and in addition to them there are other witnesses at the place where I stayed finishing my book.”
He decidido demandar penalmente al presidente Noboa por su calumnia
El mismo Noboa dió la orden, como debe ser, para que el ejército ecuatoriano en todo momento día y noche, me cuidaran en Manta, a dónde fuí el día de sus posesión a la que asistí y me trató con displicencia solo…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 19, 2026
Petro points to the Jorge Glas case and Noboa to ties with Rafael Correa
With this, the Colombian president denies—as Noboa claims—that he used his visit to meet with the drug trafficking boss Fito. In this context, Petro links his Ecuadorian counterpart’s animosity to the defense that has been made from Bogota of former Ecuadorian president Jorge Glas, now imprisoned by the justice system.
The Colombian president asserts that during his visit he was treated “with disdain [by Noboa] simply because I asked for the freedom of the political prisoner Jorge Glas, a Colombian citizen and former vice president of Ecuador.”
In this way, the Colombian leader suggests that behind these statements there are political and ideological interests, particularly from right-wing sectors that, according to him, influence the Ecuadorian government. This reading adds an ideological nuance—which in fact has been present since the crisis began—to a conflict that already combines security, economics, and diplomacy.
For his part, President Noboa said in an interview with the Colombian magazine Semana that Petro “met with members of the Citizens’ Revolution [party of former president Rafael Correa, an opponent of Noboa], and some of those members have ties to alias Fito,” although he said he could not confirm a direct meeting with the criminal leader.
Alias “Fito” is one of the main organized crime bosses in Ecuador, with regional reverberations, linked to drug trafficking networks operating in the country that have contributed to the escalation of violence in Ecuadorian territory in recent years.
Ecuador’s security crisis, marked by prison riots, attacks, and the expansion of criminal gangs, has led Noboa’s government to adopt a hardline strategy and to seek international cooperation since January 2024, practically from the start of the current president’s term.
In fact, the security crisis in Ecuador began precisely with Fito’s escape, the leader of the Los Choneros gang, in January 2024, although he was recaptured a year and a half later.
In this context, the accusations toward Colombia are part of a narrative that largely holds cross-border drug trafficking dynamics responsible, pointing to a possible penetration of criminality into Ecuador coming from the Colombian side.
However, Bogota rejects that interpretation and maintains that it has intensified its efforts against organized crime, including drug seizures and territorial control.
An unprecedented diplomatic escalation and trade war
The announcement of the lawsuit adds to a series of diplomatic clashes that have deeply deteriorated the bilateral relationship. In recent weeks, both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors and have exchanged public accusations over security and domestic policy.
One of the most tense moments occurred when Petro denounced alleged military actions from Ecuadorian territory toward Colombia, which was denied by Quito. This type of statement has contributed to raising the tone of the conflict and to making any negotiated solution more difficult.
This is compounded by the disagreement surrounding the case of former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas, whom Petro considers a political prisoner, while Noboa defends the legitimacy of his conviction. This episode has been another source of friction between the two governments.
The confrontation is not limited to the political sphere. It has also led to a trade war that threatens to paralyze exchange between the two countries. Ecuador decided to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Colombian products, citing security and border control reasons.
Colombia initially responded with similar measures, although Petro later softened that stance and proposed alternatives such as subsidies and selective tariffs.
The economic impact is significant. Thousands of companies depend on bilateral trade, which exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars monthly. The imposition of trade barriers not only affects exporters, but also increases the risk of smuggling and strengthens illegal economies along the border.