Colombia is considering a bill to ban the commercialization and distribution of souvenirs featuring notorious drug traffickers, including Pablo Escobar and his hitman Jhon Jairo Velásquez, known as “Popeye.” The bill would also prohibit the use and display of symbols associated with such figures.
In Colombia’s Antioquia department, it is common to find shops selling Escobar-related items, such as keychains, T-shirts, caps, and replicas of his ID card. Tours of his properties are also available, and until recently, there was an Escobar museum in Medellín set up by his family.
Colombia considers fines for Pablo Escobar souvenir sales
Cristian Avendaño, a representative from Colombia’s Green Alliance party and a native of Santander, Antioquia, introduced the initiative. He said it aims to “overcome stigmatization and cultural paradigms” and help the state adopt “measures to counteract narco-tourism, sex tourism, and the sale of items that glorify and idolize the image of drug traffickers and criminals as role models for present and future generations.”
The bill would add an article to Colombia’s existing Citizen Security and Coexistence Code and will sanction those who commercialize, distribute, use, or display symbols or audiovisual material that celebrate or promote the image of convicted individuals. Fines range from 173,000 COP (about $42) to 693,000 COP (about $168), along with temporary suspension of the activity or destruction of the goods.
Exemptions will be made for material intended for civic education or research, as well as electoral propaganda by convicts who have served their sentences and are eligible to participate in elections. The initiative has sparked intense debate among those who sell this merchandise and those who view the bill as an attack on freedom of expression.
Addressing the controversy, Avendaño told local newspaper El Colombiano that he does not believe the restriction will “affect many” and has asked the government to provide more insight into those profiting from the sale or distribution of the contested products.
“There is no official information or characterization of who might make a living from this type of activity and what the economic impact might be,” he said. “We want to open the debate, understand this risk, and propose that those people receive some support for the conversion of their activity.”
Impact of drug lord souvenir ban
Avendaño said that gaining a better understanding of the dynamics around the sale of the banned products will help inform the government’s ongoing response.
“In a street-level analysis, we observe that those who depend on this type of activity do so as an adjunct to their main activity. For example, they sell clothing, but not all of it is related to Escobar,” he said.
Professor Marcela Anzola, an independent lawyer and consultant, said that while the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce has refused to register brands such as “Pablo Escobar” and “Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria” for advertising, museums, or videos, it has approved them for clothing and footwear. The agency is also considering approving them for beer, tourism services, and even restaurants.
While Avendaño acknowledged that extending the prohibition to the use and display of items alluding to convicts could affect freedom of expression, he insists these issues will be addressed as debates on the bill continue. He also pointed out that the government of President Gustavo Petro still has not confirmed its support for the bill, although there is backing from some Congress members.
According to Avendaño, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce should provide technical and financial support to those selling and distributing the merchandise, to help them find alternative ways to generate an income. “In the short term, this may have an impact, but in the long term, it will bring benefits. We cannot aim to attract more tourism by promoting a negative image of violence, destruction, and death,” he said.