The plan — quickly challenged by a local court — came days after Colombia’s president and the U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, discussed stronger measures against drug trafficking.

© Luis Robayo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would talk with leaders in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru this week about drug-traffickers and trade deals.

© Pete Marovich for The New York Times

In Colombia, as in the United States and El Salvador, leaders are increasingly using images of captured or killed enemies to project power.