Real story behind Netflix’s Griselda series

Griselda Blanco was born on February 15, 1943, in Cartagena, Colombia. She was raised in poverty and had a rough and violent upbringing. She moved to Medellín at the age of three

Hyderabad: Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization shows Griselda Blanco’s journey from Medellín to becoming “the Godmother” of Miami’s drug empire.

Who is Griselda Blanco?
Griselda Blanco was born on February 15, 1943, in Cartagena, Colombia. She was raised in poverty and had a rough and violent upbringing. She moved to Medellín at the age of three. Medellín is notorious for its criminal activity and this marked the beginning og her criminal activities. It began with small-scale thefts and scams.

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In the 1970s and 1980s, she was a key player in the drug business, often referred to as the Black Widow or the Queen of Cocaine. She brought innovations in the drug trafficking business and smuggled cocaine from Colombia to the United States by concealing them in undergarments. It allowed her to transport large quantities of drugs without any suspicion. As her rivals grew in numbers in Colombia, she moved to America with her three kids with no money in her bag but a kilo of cocaine hidden in it. However, she was soon indicted on federal drug conspiracy charges, which forced her to move back to Columbia where her rivals were still alive. Soon, she made connections in Miami, Florida and moved there.

Griselda made enemies not only from law enforcement and rival gangs but also from within her group. Everyone was trying to avoid going to jail. After the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) increased its surveillance on her, they arrested her in Irvine, California in 1985. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her health worsened in prison, especially because she was a lifelong smoker. She suffered a heart attack in 2002, and was released in 2004. She was sent back to Medellín, her hometown, because her health was getting worse.

In 2004, in light of her continuing health issues, she was granted compassionate release from prison and deported to Medellín, where she lived a quiet life. Before her murder in 2012, she was last seen in May 2007 at the Bogotá Airport

Sofia Vergara as Griselda Blanco
In the Netflix series, Sofia Vergara will be seen as Griselda Blanco.