WASHINGTON, December 23. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump accused his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro of facilitating drug production in the Latin American Republic and called on the country’s leadership to strengthen efforts against drug cartels.

"He [the Colombian president] needs to be careful because he has drug labs, they’re making cocaine in Colombia. He’s no friend of the United States, he’s a very bad guy. He better watch his back because he’s making cocaine, and they’re sending it to the US from Colombia," Trump said during a press briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate near West Palm Beach, Florida.

"We love the Colombian people. And I love the Colombian people. They’re wonderful people - energetic, smart, and great. But their new leader is a troublemaker, and he better be careful. You better shut down those cocaine factories. There are three major cocaine factories. And we know where they are. You better shut them down fast," the president added.

Earlier, Trump did not rule out that the United States might consider expanding its naval anti-drug trafficking operation in the Caribbean to include Colombia and Mexico. Washington has repeatedly accused Venezuelan authorities of insufficiently combating drug smuggling, though without providing evidence. The US Navy has deployed a carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear-powered submarine, and over 16,000 military personnel to the Caribbean.