BOGOTA, Colombia — Souvenirs depicting the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar could be banned in Colombia if legislators approve a bill introduced this week in the nation’s Congress. The proposal is criticized by vendors who sell his merchandise to tourists from around the world, but it’s backed by those who believe the country should shed its image of mafia bosses.

The bill proposes fines of up to $170 for vendors who sell merchandise that depicts Escobar and other convicted criminals; it also would enable police to fine those who wear T-shirts, hats and other garments that “exalt” the infamous drug lord.

“These items are revictimizing people who were victims of murderers,” said Cristian Avendaño, a representative from Colombia’s Green Party who drafted the bill.

“We must protect the right of the victims to recover ... and find other symbols for our country.”

The proposal has been widely covered by newspapers in Colombia, where Escobar is seen as a murderous figure, linked to one of the most violent periods in the nation’s history.

At the same time, the drug trafficker’s image is heavily commercialized by locals eager to cash in on the growing tourist fascination with the drug lord.

Souvenir vendors in Bogota’s historic La Candelaria neighborhood said they were opposed to the initiative, which has been criticized for attempting to limit freedom of speech.

“I think it’s a dumb law,” said Rafael Nieto, a street vendor who sells magnets and shirts with Escobar’s face on them, as well as more traditional souvenirs.

Nieto said he would stop selling Escobar merchandise if the bill is approved, to “avoid problems” with police. But he added that Congress should instead focus on lowering the city’s crime rate and let him carry on with his business.

“Many people make a living from this,” Nieto said, pointing at a T-shirt showing a copy of Escobar’s Colombian ID card. “It’s not a trend that I came up with. The Mexicans, the Costa Ricans, the Americans are always asking me for Escobar” merchandise.

Another street vendor, who asked to be identified only as Lorena, said she has also stocked up on items that depict the drug dealer, such as shot glasses and magnets, along with souvenirs depicting coca leaves.

“When you work as a vendor, you try to sell what is most popular,” Lorena said. “Everyone has their own personality, and if there are people who like a murderer, or a drug trafficker, well, that’s their choice.”

Escobar ordered the murders of an estimated 4,000 people in the 1980s and early 1990s as he established the powerful Medellin cartel and amassed a $3 billion fortune that made him one of the world’s richest people at the time.

The drug lord was gunned down in 1993 on a rooftop in Medellin as he tried to escape from a unit of more than 300 police officers backed by drug agents dedicated exclusively to capturing him.

Escobar’s exploits and his 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 depicts the drug lord as a ruthless but shrewd mafioso.