Petro’s Government Officials Accuse and Confess in Drug Scandal Allegations

Addictions in the upper echelons of Colombian politics have recently been making headlines. At the end of April, former Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva publicly accused President Gustavo Petro of drug addiction in an unprecedented moment in Colombia’s political history. The allegations came in the form of a lengthy letter addressed to Petro but also shared on Leyva’s social media, sparking political divisions and making headlines. Just days after the letter’s publication, Armando Benedetti, the recently appointed Minister of the Interior, stepped into the spotlight by openly admitting to his own struggles with drug and alcohol addiction in extended interviews with two national outlets.

“The memories I still have fresh of certain episodes—of which I was a direct witness—continue to cause me unease and dismay,” wrote Leyva in his letter, who served as the eldest member of Petro’s original cabinet as Foreign Minister. He was referencing a state visit to France in June 2023, where Petro allegedly “disappeared for two days,” delaying the delegation’s return.

Leyva added, “It was in Paris where I was able to confirm that you had a problem with drug addiction. But what could I do? Surely, I was not up to the task. I should have reached out, helped, intervened. I carry the regret of not having tried to lend a hand. The truth is, you never recovered. That is the reality.”

While the accusations were met with skepticism by Petro’s allies, the President himself responded on X, but without naming Leyva directly. “Now it’s a sin to be with my family. Because several of my children and my mother live abroad, and because of the persecution we suffer, I have very few opportunities to see them,” he wrote hours later. The following day, during a public appearance, Petro mocked the allegations: “Being a drug addict is not a sin, Mr. Oligarch. Most of your children are addicted—if not to drugs, then to money. It’s a treatable disease, but never blame that illness on a revolutionary who has spent his entire life trying to make his dream revolution come true,” he said in a speech lasting more than an hour.

Leyva, now 82, began Petro’s administration in 2022 as a key figure in the President’s peace-building agenda. Under his leadership, Colombia reestablished diplomatic relations with Venezuela and Cuba, making them key guarantors in peace talks with the ELN and FARC dissident groups. However, in 2023, Leyva was accused of unlawfully annulling a tender process for the issuance of passports—a decision that ultimately led to a ten-year public service ban imposed in November 2024. The ruling found that Leyva had canceled the bidding process despite the company Thomas Greg & Sons (TGS) meeting all legal requirements.

Days later, Armando Benedetti publicly admitted to his own addiction struggles. In two extensive interviews with online magazine Cambio and national daily El Tiempo, Benedetti revealed he had been addicted to cocaine and alcohol and had undergone rehabilitation in Mexico. “Last October, I spent 35 days in a rehabilitation center in Mazatlán, Mexico, and there I overcame the emotional instabilities that lead one to use drugs. And that helps free oneself from many of the situations that lead to use. Based on that, with rehabilitation, you become more spiritual. You understand that you have to ask for help and that you can’t get out of there alone,” he told El Tiempo.

“Sometimes it’s hard to accept. I don’t want to be a drug addict. But I am. It’s a disease, and I wish I was not (…), 90 % of my problems are due to arrogance,” he told Cambio. However, he firmly denied Leyva’s claims about Petro.

Benedetti is currently under judicial investigation for gender-based violence, illicit enrichment, and alleged physical aggression—charges filed in 2023 by current Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia, after leaked audio revealed him using offensive language against her during a past dispute.

These two revelations have reignited debate over personal conduct in public office and the boundaries between political loyalty, accountability, and privacy. But it has also raised concerns about the health of those whom have the Colombian government in their hands.

Headline photo: Armando Benedetti, Minister of the Interior of Colombia since February (Photo: Ministerio del Interior)