The Twisted True Story Behind Netflix's 'Griselda'
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The drug-lord-turned-anti-hero story is a staple in Hollywood. With the successes of The Sopranos, Narcos, Ozark, Power, and Snowfall, script-makers (and audiences, if we're being honest) deep fascination with society's most glamorous criminals. Until now, those stories have largely been limited to men, but Netflix just flipped the script with Griselda (streaming now), a new miniseries starring Sofía Vergara. The show is based on the true story of Griselda Blanco, the “godmother of cocaine,” who smuggled troves of drugs into America and created one of the most profitable cartels in history.
In addition to her business IQ and expert smuggling skills, Blanco was known for being a ruthless killer. She’s tied to countless murders and, throughout her career, was nicknamed The Black Widow. Even drug kingpin Pablo Escobar knew better than to cross her. Legend has it he said, “The only man I was ever afraid of was Griselda Blanco.”
Griselda examines Blanco's tumultuous rise to power and ultimate downfall. In addition to Vergara, the cast includes stunning performances by Karol G, Vanessa Ferlito, and Alberto Guerra. Keep reading if you’d like to learn more about the true story that inspired Griselda.
Who is Griselda Blanco?
Griselda Blanco was a prolific drug dealer who rose to power in the '70s and '80s. She was born in 1943 in Cartagena, Colombia, and settled in America in the '70s. (The exact date is unknown.) In Netflix’s adaptation, Blanco winds up in Miami after fleeing her abusive boyfriend, who worked as a drug dealer. With no money and three children to take care of, she asked her friend Carmen for a job at her agency. Soon after, Blanco realized she could make more selling drugs—just as her ex did—and thus, her story begins.
The truth is a bit more complicated, so let's start from the beginning of Blanco's story. According to Collider, she was raised by a mother who struggled with alcoholism and grew up in poverty. At just 11 years old, Blanco allegedly kidnapped a wealthy boy and held him for ransom to make money. When the child's parents didn’t comply, she reportedly killed him. A year later, she met a pimp named Carlos Trujillo and began working for him. They moved to New York when Blanco was 13—and by the time she turned 21, they were married with three children.
Blanco was involved in Trujillo’s business affairs, and when their relationship ended, she allegedly had him killed, too. Later on, she married her second husband, Alberto Bravo, and together they began smuggling cocaine into America. Bravo owned a clothing import company, and Griselda came up with the idea to hide drugs within the fabric of women’s bras and girdles. This tactic is altered in the Netflix adaptation, which shows Blanco hiring immigrants to smuggle cocaine that's sewn into their bras. When they arrived in America, they delivered the garments to Blanco, who would cut the cocaine out of the cups and sell it.
In actuality, Blanco and Bravo worked together for quite some time and earned millions of dollars. Their relationship soured when Blanco—who was 32 years old at the time—accused him of embezzling funds. One night, she asked Bravo to meet and discuss the issue, which led to a shootout. Bravo allegedly shot Blanco in the stomach, but she survived the attack. He did not.
In 1978, Blanco and her new husband, Dario Sepulveda, moved to Miami, where Blanco became one of the most prolific drug dealers of all time. This time, she ran the cartel herself. Vice estimates she earned about $1.5 billion in sales before she was arrested in 1985.
How Did Griselda Become So Powerful?
A few factors led to Griselda Blanco’s success. First, she was often underestimated by her peers. Despite her violent nature, her male competitors believed they could outsmart her. They didn’t realize that while they created plans to diminish her profits, Blanco was plotting their demise, too. Over the years, she allegedly attacked other cartels and had her enemies killed by hitmen.
Another key element to success was her business acumen. In 1989, Steve Georges, a member of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told Sun-Sentinel that Blanco was “the first to use multiple sources of supply so that she could always keep the cocaine pipeline full.” Though she started with undergarments, Blanco managed to uncover many ways to smuggle cocaine. According to A&E, she’s even rumored to have hidden drugs on a ship called Gloria—which was sent by Colombia to celebrate America’s bicentennial in the New York Harbor.
Lastly, Blanco helped popularize cocaine in America. Before she began her drug-trafficking trade, marijuana was far more popular in the United States. When she moved to Miami, Blanco witnessed the city become a vacation destination and party capital. It didn’t take long for her to corner the market and introduce a drug that was far more powerful and addictive than what people were used to.
How Was Griselda Blanco Caught?
Arresting Blanco was not easy. Despite her crimes, it was difficult to find anyone to testify against her, and she often evaded arrest by moving around. In 1977, when Blanco was living in Colombia, Charles Cecil—a special agent at the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)—was tasked with finding her location. When he discovered she wasn’t in the country, Cecil waited for her inevitable return to the United States. Finally, in 1985, Blanco was arrested at her home in Irvine, California. She was convicted of one count of conspiracy to manufacture, import into the United States, and distribute cocaine. Blanco served a 15-year sentence.
Later on, in 1994, Blanco was charged for the death of a young boy named Johnny Castro, who was mistakenly killed in 1982 during a Blanco-ordered hit. In 1998, she pled guilty to three second-degree murder charges, which led to a judge reducing her prison sentence by six years.
How Did Griselda Blanco Die?
Blanco was killed after she was released from prison. In 2004, Blanco retired from the cocaine business and was deported to Colombia—but she still had many enemies. In 2012, Blanco was killed by a gunman while leaving a butcher shop in Medellín. The shooter planned the attack as a drive-by shooting, killing her while driving a motorcycle —the same tactic Blanco’s hitmen allegedly used at the height of her career.
What Happened to Griselda’s Children?
Blanco had four sons: Osvaldo, Uber, Dixon Trujillo (from her first marriage to Carlos Trujillo), and Michael Corleone Blanco—yes, named after The Godfather character—with her ex-husband, Dario Sepulveda. The Miami New Times reports that Michael’s father and his older brothers were killed while Blanco was in jail. Some believe Blanco ordered a hit on Sepulveda because he’d left Colombia with Michael and another woman, but it hasn't been confirmed. Until his mother was released from prison, Michael reportedly spent most of his time with his legal guardians and relatives.
Now that Netflix has adapted his mother's life story into a series, Michael is suing the streamer and Sofía Vergara. Michael claims that Netflix didn’t consult his previous media interviews while making Griselda—and he accused the writers of relying on anecdotes instead of facts to craft the story. Earlier this year, he told Daily Mail that Netflix’s actions were a “slap in the face” and said they “wouldn’t have got away with it," if his mom was alive.
While speaking with Daily Mail, Michael clarified that Netflix and Vergara initially reached out to him, but they had already decided to create the series without his help. “They extended an invitation for us to sit with them [just] to tell us there was no room on the project,” he said. “Sofía’s camp and the Netflix creators were disrespectful and ultimately produced the Griselda project on their own for commercial gain, without key details from the Blanco family.”
Michael recently wrote a book about Griselda Blanco’s life, My Mother, The Godmother, which is available for pre-order. “Somebody from the family has to tell the story correctly,” he said. I just feel that my family’s life story should be humanized, not villainized.”
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