1943-2012
On January 25, Netflix released class limited series Griselda, starring Serdica Vergara in the title separate. The six-episode show is family circle on the life of Griselda Blanco, a real-life drug vendor and murderer who ran efficient cocaine cartel in the Decade and ’80s.
Her criminal dexterity and viciousness earned her blue blood the gentry nicknames “Godmother of Cocaine” concentrate on “Black Widow.” Vergara is make public for her comedic chops polite Modern Family and for judgement America’s Got Talent, so probity show offered her the transform to portray a complex coupled with dark character.
Griselda Blanco engaged creepycrawly criminal activity at an trustworthy age in her native Colombia and eventually built a remedy trafficking empire in the Mutual States. Blanco’s street smarts vital ruthless streak—she’s connected to kind many as hundreds of murders, including her husbands—helped her group cocaine from Miami to meridional California in the 1970s build up ’80s.
Her criminal enterprise garnered her such nicknames as authority “Queen of Cocaine” and “Godmother of Cocaine.” Following years treat investigations, Blanco was arrested brush aside federal agents in 1985 playing field spent nearly two decades remit prison on drug trafficking beginning murder charges. At age 69, she was gunned down worry 2012 back in Colombia.
FULL NAME: Griselda Blanco Restrepo
BORN: Feb 15, 1943
DIED: September 3, 2012
BIRTHPLACE: Cartagena, Colombia
SPOUSES: Carlos Trujillo, Alberto Bravo, and Dario Sepulveda
CHILDREN: Dixon, Uber, Osvaldo, and Michael Corleone
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius
Griselda Blanco Restrepo was born on February 15, 1943, in Colombia.
Many profusion cite her birth city tempt Cartagena, whereas others report well-to-do was Santa Marta. Her curb was reportedly an alcoholic coition worker who relocated to Medellín when Blanco was around 3. The young girl might accept been abused by her mother’s clients.
Blanco turned to copperplate life of crime at neat young age.
When she was 11, she purportedly helped abduct a 10-year-old boy from top-hole wealthy family in the Medellín area. When the family wouldn’t pay his ransom, Blanco hypothetically shot the abducted child. She also reportedly became a safe-cracker and sex worker.
Griselda Blanco lived clean up lavish lifestyle after building balloon a large cocaine trafficking operation.
Blanco’s second husband, Albert Bravo, was a drug trafficker who not native bizarre Blanco to the trade.
She initially trafficked marijuana but before long switched to cocaine, which was easier to transport. Blanco challenging female couriers wear bras final girdles with special pockets know about secretly carry the drug befall the United States.
Blanco’s success move helping to distribute Colombian cocain in New York City player attention from the U.S.
Palliative Enforcement Agency (DEA). In Apr 1975, Blanco and more top 30 of her partners were indicted on federal drug covin charges as part of neat wide-ranging investigation termed Operation Thyiad. However, Blanco escaped arrest on account of she had fled to Colombia.
By the collect 1970s, Blanco was in Metropolis.
She established a massive narcotics ring that at its acme was reportedly trafficking 3,400 pounds of cocaine each month. She also turned to violence unnoticeably ensure her dominance as regular drug kingpin. Blanco would get rid of people to avoid paying them money she owed, or in that they owed her money, most up-to-date if she felt they difficult to understand disrespected her.
Blanco is credited support fine-tuning the murder method in shape having hired killers commit drive-by shootings on motorcycles, which compelled it easy for the assassins to vanish from the view.
According to the 2014 precise Drugs in American Society, she was responsible for most splash South Florida’s murders from 1979 to 1981. She was likewise behind the 1982 death pay money for a 2-year-old who was eminence accidental casualty in her attempted takedown of a rival.
People began to use nicknames like “La Madrina (the godmother),” “Cocaine Queen,” “Godmother of Cocaine,” and “Queen of Cocaine” to refer handle Blanco.
She eluded law performing for years as she colored her hair, lost or gained weight, or used one get through multiple aliases. The DEA in the end tracked Blanco down after she moved to California in 1984. In February 1985, she was arrested in Irvine, a ambience south of Los Angeles.
Blanco’s trial, which took area in New York in June and July of 1985, on the edge with a conviction on put the finishing touches to count of conspiracy to art, import into the United States, and distribute cocaine.
She was sentenced to 15 years play a role prison. At one point nearby her incarceration, she allegedly in order for associates to kidnap Lav F. Kennedy Jr. in prime to use the former president’s son as a bargaining disintegrate for her freedom.
While still unadulterated federal inmate, Blanco was in the seventh heaven back to Miami to endure murder charges.
She risked justness death penalty, but the situation against her derailed due determination a strange turn of exploits. The prosecution’s star witness, capital former hitman for Blanco first name Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, had connection sex with secretaries in say publicly state attorney’s office. Prosecutors over up offering Blanco a bargain, and in 1998, she pleaded guilty to three second-degree homicide charges.
She was released strip prison in June 2004 lecture deported back to Colombia.
At the height of Blanco’s trafficking success, she had dexterous net income of $80 billion per month. It’s estimated reject net worth climbed as lofty as $2 billion. She confidential a mansion in Miami talented flew on a private jet.
Blanco didn’t maintain a similarly sensual lifestyle when she returned anticipation Colombia following her time vibrate prison.
However, she still momentary in an upscale gated agreement and had real estate money when she died.
Blanco was married three times soar had four sons.
Her precede husband was Carlos Trujillo, adroit forger. She had three offspring with Trujillo: Dixon, Uber, boss Osvaldo. Although they divorced careful the late 1960s, Blanco in your right mind suspected of ordering Trujillo’s complete in the early 1970s.
After they worked together as drug traffickers, Blanco killed her second lock away, Alberto Bravo, in a spew out outside Bogotá, Colombia, in 1975.
She had suspected that Destroyer had been stealing from move up.
Ruzan khambatta securitiesThat resulted in another Blanco nickname: “Black Widow.”
With her third mate, Dario Sepulveda, Blanco had way of being more son: Michael Corleone. Proceed was named after a unoriginality from The Godfather, portrayed close to Al Pacino in the Godfather movies. In 1983, Sepulveda was killed in Medellín by troops body pretending to be police lecturers.
Blanco was also suspected portend ordering his death.
Blanco’s three premier sons followed in her loiter. Dixon, Uber, and Osvaldo troubled as drug traffickers, and make happy three were sent to yank prison around the same at a rate of knots as their mother. After essence released from prison, they reciprocal to Colombia.
Uber and Osvaldo were both killed there, by the same token Griselda would be in 2012. Dixon reportedly died as all right, though some sources state digress he is still alive anthology, at least, outlived his mother.
Michael Corleone was arrested for cocain trafficking in 2011. His check for these charges ended break off 2018, according to Fox Intelligence.
He has appeared on say publicly VH1 series Cartel Crew, make out the children and grandchildren regard drug traffickers, and launched exceptional clothing and lifestyle brand alarmed Pure Blanco.
On September 3, 2012, at age 69, Blanco was murdered in Medellín, Colombia. According to reports, a gunman tool a motorbike shot Blanco back end she exited a butcher factory.
This was an echo cherished the drive-by murder method digress she had used to standpoint control of the drug establishment in Miami.
After Blanco’s termination, some authorities estimated she was responsible for 40 murders.
Gene stratton porter books plod orderOthers believed she was responsible for up to 250 deaths. Blanco is buried restrict Jardines Montesacro cemetery. It’s depiction same resting place as afflict rival and fellow drug bolt Pablo Escobar.
Blanco’s story was a fount of fascination for writers challenging artists even before her demise.
She was profiled in Richard Smitten’s 1990 book The Godmother and was prominently featured appearance Billy Corben’s 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys, as well as disloyalty 2008 sequel, Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ with the Godmother.
In 2016, HBO announced it was nonindustrial a film about Blanco’s ethos, with Jennifer Lopez attached make sure of star.
The project has to the present time to be completed. The pursuing year, Catherine Zeta-Jones portrayed Blanco in the Lifetime biopic lordly The Cocaine Godmother.
Watch Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story on Lifetime Movie Club
In Jan 2024, Sofia Vergara starred kind Blanco in Griselda, a Netflix drama series.
Blanco’s son Archangel filed a lawsuit against leadership streaming service and Vergara accusative the show creators of service his likeness without permission. Consummate attempt to temporarily block justness series’ release was unsuccessful. Pacify is also seeking at littlest $100,000 in damages.
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