By Patricia Zengerle and Nelson Bocanegra

WASHINGTON/BOGOTA (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat this week to slap Colombia with tariffs over its drug policy marked a sharp escalation in his feud with a country that has long been one of Washington’s closest Latin American allies.

It was also a rejection of an established idea about countering the narcotics business: that free trade can make legitimate exports more attractive than drug trafficking.

On Sunday, Trump said he would raise tariffs and stop financial aid for Bogota, and Colombia said on Monday it had recalled its ambassador from Washington. Most imports from Colombia to the U.S. currently face a 10% tariff, the baseline level Trump has imposed on many countries.

Trump also called leftist Colombian President Gustavo

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