Summary
- Griselda Blanco, the “Godmother of Cocaine,” was a deadly and violent drug trafficker in the Miami drug scene during the 1970s and 1980s.
- Griselda’s rise to power in Miami began in the late 1970s, after she murdered her second husband and fled from Medellin, Colombia.
- Griselda’s empire was built on her connections in the Colombian drug trade and her ruthless tactics, including orchestrating the Dadeland Mall Massacre in 1979. She was eventually arrested in 1985 for drug-related charges but managed to secure an early release in 2004.
Netflix’s Griselda tells the story of Miami crime boss Griselda Blanco and outlines her career as one of the most deadly drug traffickers through the 1970s and 1980s. As is seen throughout the miniseries’ six episodes, the “Godmother of Cocaine” was essentially the queen of the Miami drug scene, and she ruled through violence and murder for years. Griselda picks up with Blanco’s initial move to Miami in the late 1970s and ends just before her release from prison in 2004—the assumed end of the drug empire she had worked so hard for.
Griselda skips over the early parts of Griselda Blanco’s story, picking up with the murder of her second husband, Alberto Bravo, and departure from Medellin, Colombia, to Miami, Florida. Before this, Griselda’s life had been anything but easy. She started a life of crime at a young age in Colombia, working as a prostitute and drug dealer and even allegedly kidnapping children and holding them for ransom when she was only 11 years old. With such a violent foundation, it’s no surprise that the empire seen in Netflix‘s Griselda was deadly and lasted as long as it did.
Griselda Cast & Character Guide – Who Else Stars In Sofia Vergara’s Crime Miniseries
Griselda is a drama centering around notorious Colombian cocaine-based drug trader Griselda Blanco, and her rise to prominence throughout the 1980s.
Griselda Blanco & Her Sons Move To Miami – Late 1970s
The exact year that Griselda moved to Miami isn’t known, but it is believed to be near the end of the 1970s. Just as Griselda depicted, the future Godmother murdered her second husband, Alberto Bravo, before fleeing to America. This was actually Griselda’s second time living in the United States. In the early 1970s, she and Alberto had lived in New York City, where they first ran a successful business selling marijuana before switching to cocaine. This was when Griselda developed her method of smuggling drugs in through women’s bras.
Griselda and Alberto were ultiamtely cought and arrested in 1975, but managed to escape back to Colombia before they could be thrown in prison. That same year, Griselda came to believe that her husband was stealing money (via Britannica), which is when she killed him. Unlike in Griselda, the future Godmother didn’t immediately come to Miami but instead took some time to save and build up her resources before making her big move near the end of the 1970s.
Griselda Blanco Marries Darío Sepúlveda – 1978
In Netflix’s Griselda, Blanco met her third husband, Darío Sepúlveda, after he was hired by Fernando Bravo (Alberto’s brother) to kill her. This is similar to how the pair met in real life, but who specifically had hired Darío is unclear. Regardless, the pair fell in love and were married that same year in 1978. Together, they had another son, Michael Corleone Blanco (named after The Godfather), but their marriage was far from happy. It has been noted that both Griselda and Darío were highly jealous of one another, and there was frequent infidelity on both ends.
Like in Griselda, the marriage between Blanco and Sepúlveda ended when the latter took Michael and moved back to Medellin, Colombia. Unwilling to accept this, Griselda had Dario assassinated and ordered that her son be brought back to the United States. This all went down in 1983, which means that Griselda killed her husband three years before her 1985 arrest (unlike in Griselda, where she ordered the hit from behind bars). Darío’s death in Griselda meant the third husband that Griselda herself had ordered dead, earning her the name “The Black Widow.”
Netflix’s Griselda left out Griselda’s first husband, Carlos Trujillo, who murdered at her orders as well.
Griselda Blanco’s Ochoa Cartel Partnership & Control Over Miami – Circa 1979
It didn’t take long after Griselda arrived in Miami for her to develop power and influence. Griselda made it seem like she had come to Miami with nothing, but this wasn’t quite the case. Griselda was already a notable cocaine dealer in Colombia, and these connections allowed her to get a foothold in Miami. In the 1970s and 1980s, all the significant cartels were linked, so Griselda and the Ochoas of the Medellin Cartel were already well acquainted. However, when the Godmother ordered the Dadeland Mall Massacre in 1979, the Miami Drug Wars were officially underway.
Griselda’s viciousness in ordering such a public attack in broad daylight escalated the drug trade in Miami, and the city quickly became the most dangerous location in the United States. Powerful men like the Ochoa brothers were forced to pay close attention to Griselda, and though they were mostly partnered with her, it was a fine line. What started as a cooperative business venture had become an all-out war, and Griselda never seemed to play by the rules. Soon enough, the queenpin had made so many enemies that she moved to California in 1984 and hid in her mansion.
Griselda Blanco’s Arrest – 1985
In 1982, Griselda ordered the murder of former bodyguard Chucho Castro, but when hitman Jorge “Rivi” Ayala shot and killed the man’s two-year-old son instead, it was the beginning of the end for the Godmother. Though many had died as a result of the Miami drug wars, the death of such a young child was seen as the final straw. Police became all the more motivated to get Blanco off the streets. This ultimately meant that the queenpin could no longer trust her subjects. She grew paranoid and wound up moving to California in 1984.
Netflix’s Griselda saw Sofía Vergara’s character bring her sons to a hotel in California before calling the police on herself (to avoid the Rafa Salazar and the Ochoas’ wraths), but this isn’t entirely true. Griselda had purchased a lavish mansion in LA and lived there under heavy protection for a year before police finally arrested her for the drug-related charges she had avoided in the 1970s. For this, she was sentenced to 15 years, and several murder charges were added as well, resulting in three additional 20-year sentences. However, Griselda managed an early release.
Griselda Blanco’s Prison Release – 2004
It wasn’t until Rivi Ayala was arrested in 1992, when Griselda was seven years into her initial 15-year sentence, that she was charged with the murder of two-year-old Johnny Castro.
Netflix significantly condensed the timeline of Griselda’s arrest and imprisonment, but it was confirmed that the DA had a difficult time nailing the Godmother with any significant murder charges. It wasn’t until Rivi Ayala was arrested in 1992, when Griselda was seven years into her initial 15-year sentence, that she was charged with the murder of two-year-old Johnny Castro. Since Rivi had agreed to testify that Griselda had ordered this and other murders, it seemed that she would get the death penalty, but after the man’s DA sex scandal, the case fell through.
Still, the slate wasn’t wiped quite as clean as Griselda implied, and though Blanco avoided the death penalty, she still had a few 20-year sentences added to her time. However, a couple of years after suffering a heart attack in 2002, Griselda was released from prison out of concern for her health and deported back to Colombia. It’s believed that through the 19 years that the woman was in prison, she had continued pulling strings, and when Griselda went home in 2004, she still had a sizeable fortune to live on.
10 Biggest Griselda Blanco Details The Netflix Show Leaves Out
Griselda had a long and violent career that spanned decades, so it was impossible for Netflix to include all the facts in the six-episode miniseries.
Griselda Blanco’s Assassination & Death – 2012
Griselda ended before the woman’s death, but before the credits rolled for episode 6, “Adios, Miami,” text appeared on the screen explaining that the Godmother had been assassinated in Medellin, Colombia, in 2012. Leading up to this, Griselda lived what has been called a peaceful life, and she is noted to have contributed large amounts of money to the community and those in need. Still, the queenpin couldn’t escape her past, and she was assassinated while leaving a butcher shop. It was a tragic end to a long and violent career.
Griselda
Griselda is a Netflix mini-series inspired by the savvy and ambitious Colombian businesswoman Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspected savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business, leading her to become widely known as the “Godmother.”
