On July 29, 2023, Nicolás Fernando Petro Burgos, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and a deputy in the Atlantico provincial assembly, was arrested following an order from the Bogota Municipal Criminal Court.

Nicolás Petro was charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment. He is alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars from drug traffickers and used them to purchase luxurious homes and expensive cars.

Nicolás Petro’s ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, was also arrested alongside him and is facing charges related to money laundering and the violation of personal data.

In March 2023, the Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation after an interview with Nicolás Petro’s ex-wife was published in a magazine. During the interview, she disclosed that a drug trafficker named Samuel Santander Lopesierra, alias “the Marlboro man,” had made a significant contribution of more than 600 million pesos (approximately US$ 153,000) to President Petro’s electoral campaign. Furthermore, she revealed that Nicolás Petro had received an additional 200 million pesos (about US$ 51,000) from the controversial businessman Alfonso “Turco” Hilsaca.