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"Plata o plomo," which means "silver or lead," is an expression arising from within narcoculture that effectively means "take the money or die." It was supposedly the standard threat used by Pablo Escobar's men to intimidate and corrupt Columbian law enforcement. The concept and image were both largely inspired by the character of Mike Ehrmantraut, played by Jonathan Banks, from the shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul--a corrupt former cop haunted by regret even as he works for monsters. The image depicts the moment of choice--whether to accept or stand up to corruption. I initially was displeased with the oversized but then I realized that both bullet and coins are constructs, existing only as metaphor. Silver is a symbol for bribery (I'm reasonably sure drug dealers aren't bribing cops with silver dollars these days) while the bullet represents the unavoidable threat of violence.
