The glamourization of drug lords in recent years has seen a boom in narcoculture. The public want to own a piece of these kingpins – and the business-savvy amongst them are only too happy to oblige.
The drug lords are regularly depicted in TV series and movies and seen to be wallowing in a life of luxury and excess. Even though the depictions are based on crime and extreme violence, public interest has hit a crescendo.
I guess the next logical business step for these kingpins is to trademark their names. Some have made applications to Mexico’s Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) to register their names, faces, signatures, nicknames and even fingerprints. On occasion, their relatives will apply on their behalf. Individuals have also tried to obtain rights to the word ‘narcos‘ and of the crime syndicate ‘Los Zetas’. The patron saint of drug traffickers, Jesús Malverde’s image and name is also a popular choice. The purpose of all this is to gain exclusive rights to these names and logos for drinks, clothing and religious articles.
The wife of recently imprisoned drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, launched a line of clothing inspired by the kingpin of the Sinaloa Cartel. Well she has a living to make, right? And it’s guaranteed that people will buy it, after all, the name screams money and power.
So is it right or wrong that the families, and the drug lords themselves can make such easy money from branching out into other fields? And is using their name and past crimes to go legit a good move?
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