BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Souvenirs featuring the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar could be banned in Colombia if lawmakers approve a bill introduced this week in the national congress. The proposal has been criticized by vendors who sell his wares to tourists from around the world but supported by those who say the country needs to shed its image as a mafia kingpin.
The bill proposes fines of up to $170 for vendors who sell goods depicting Escobar and other convicted criminals. It would also allow police to fine those who wear T-shirts, hats and other clothing items that “glorify” the notorious drug lord.
“These objects re-victimize people who were previously victims of murderers,” said Cristian Avendaño, a representative of Colombia’s Green Party who authored the bill.
“We must protect the victims’ right to reparation…and find other symbols for our country.”
The proposal has been widely reported in newspapers in Colombia, where Escobar is seen as a killer involved in one of the most violent periods in the country’s history.
At the same time, the drug dealer’s image is being heavily commercialized by locals, who are eager to capitalize on the growing fascination with the drug lord among tourists from North America, Europe and other Latin American countries.
Souvenir vendors in Bogota’s historic La Candelaria district said they were opposed to the initiative, which has been criticized for limiting freedom of expression.
“I think it’s a stupid law,” said Rafael Nieto, a street vendor who sells magnets and T-shirts with Pablo Escobar’s face, along with more traditional souvenirs.
Nieto said he would stop selling Escobar merchandise if the bill passes, to avoid “problems” with police. But he added that members of Colombia’s Congress should instead focus their energy on reducing crime in the city and let him keep his business going.
“A lot of people make a living from this,” Nieto said, pointing to a T-shirt featuring a copy of Pablo Escobar’s Colombian identity card.
“It’s not a trend that I created,” Nieto added. “The Mexicans, the Costa Ricans, the Americans, they always ask me for Escobar merchandise.”
Another street vendor, who would only give her identity as Lorena, said she also stocked up on items with images of the drug dealer, such as shot glasses and magnets, because international tourists ask for them. She also bought souvenirs with images of coca leaves.
“When you work as a salesperson, you try to sell what’s most popular,” Lorean said. “Everyone has their own personality, and if there are people who like a murderer or a drug dealer, well, that’s their choice.”
Escobar ordered the murders of an estimated 4,000 people in the 1980s and early 1990s. He founded the powerful Medellin Cartel and amassed a fortune of $3 billion, making him one of the richest men in the world at the time.
The drug lord was shot dead on a rooftop in Medellin in 1994 as he tried to escape the Search Unit, a unit of more than 300 police officers backed by DEA agents that was after him alone.
Escobar’s exploits and crimes are well-known in Colombia. But in recent years, his global fame has resurfaced thanks to a Colombian soap opera and a Netflix series that portray the drug lord as a ruthless but cunning mafioso who fights against corrupt American and Colombian authorities who are trying to surround him.
Merchandise featuring the drug dealer’s face, his ID card or famous slogans attributed to Escobar is widely sold at souvenir stalls across the country. In his hometown of Medellin, travel agencies take visitors on historical tours of sites linked to Escobar’s life.
According to Representative Avendaño, it is time for Colombia to shake off its image of mafia bosses.
“We can’t keep praising these people and pretending that their crimes are acceptable,” Avandaño said. “There are other ways for companies to grow and other ways to sell Colombia to the world.”
Avendaño said his bill would push Colombia’s government to investigate how many people make a living selling Escobar merchandise and how much the market is worth.
The bill must go through four rounds of debate to be approved by Congress, Avendaño explained, adding that if the legislation passes, there will be a “transition period” in which government officials work with souvenir sellers to find new ways to market Colombia.
Last year, the South American country denied a request by Pablo Escobar’s widow and children to register the brand name as a trademark, as they wanted to sell educational and leisure products.
In its decision, Colombia’s trade regulator said a Pablo Escobar brand would “allow violence and threaten public order.”
The General Court of the European Union earlier this year also rejected a similar trademark application from Escobar’s family, arguing that it was contrary to “public policy and accepted principles of morality.”
