Griselda Blanco: The Columbian Drug Lady Known for Being a Blood-Thirsty Monster

Griselda Blanco was one of the most famous drug kingpins in the world. She was also the first billionaire female criminal to rule the drug-trafficking empire with an iron fist. 

Griselda Blanco Restrepo was born in Cartagena on the north’s coast. Her family moved to Medellin when she was three years old. After moving to Medellin, she adopted a criminal lifestyle. Her former lover, Charles Cosby, recounted that at the age of 11, she was kidnapped and shot a child near her neighborhood. 

She even turned into a pickpocket at the age of 9 and looted in Medellin until the age of 20. Blanco was a drug lord and committed some heinous crimes. She forced children to become mules, killed her lovers, and forced people to have sex with her at gunpoint. 

Let us know more about her drug business, arrest, and personal life.

Personal Life

Blanco, with her husband, had three sons Uber, Osvaldo, and Dixon. All of them were killed in Colombia after being deported following prison sentences in the United States. Her second husband, Bravo, was also her business partner. Blanco had her youngest son, Michael Corleone Blanco, with her third husband, Dario Sepulveda. 

He left her in 1983 and returned to Colombia. He kidnapped Michael when they disagreed over who would take custody. Furthermore, she was remembered as a loving mother and a businesswoman. 

Drug Business

She was a popular woman in the history of the drug trade from Colombia to Miami, New York. In the 1970s, she and her husband illegally immigrated to the US with fake passports. They established a cocaine business in 1975 and were indicted on federal drug conspiracy charges along with 30 of her subordinates. She came to Colombia before she could be arrested but returned to the United States and settled in Miami. 

Blanco was involved in the drug-related violence that plagued Miami in the late 1970s and 1980s. It was the lawless and corrupt atmosphere created by Blanco’s operations that led the gangsters to be dubbed the Cocaine Cowboys and their way of doing business as Miami drug war. Her network in the United States brought in around $80,000,000 per month. Her business style brought government scrutiny to South Florida and caused the demise of her organization. 

Arrest

In 1985, Griselda Blanco was arrested by police from her home. After they sent her to prison, she tried to escape and was sentenced to more than a decade in jail. Still, in prison, she continued to run her business with her son Michael Blanco. 

In 2004, she was released from prison and was deported to Medellin. Before her death in 2012, she was last seen in 2007 at Bogota Airport. 

Conviction and Prison Time

Her trial began in 1985 and ended with a conviction on one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine. She was accused of Florida sayings and escaped murder charges while sentencing to 15 years behind bars. In 1994, she turned into a prison inmate and was transported back to Miami on three murder charges. 

Later, Blanco ended up pleading guilty to the three murder charges. Following a deal with prosecutors, she received a 10-year sentence. In 2004, she was released and deported to Colombia. 

Death, Legacy, and Crime

In 2012, she was murdered in Colombia. At the time, authorities went on record with conservative estimates that she killed 40 people. Her story was a fascination for writers even before her death.

 Her story was featured in Richard’s Smitten 1990 book, The Godmother, and was also featured in Billy Corben’s 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys and the 2008 sequel. 

Murder

In 2012, she died after being shot twice. She was shot in the head and once in the shoulder by a motorcyclist in Colombia. She was murdered at a butcher shop after buying the meat; the gunman climbed off the back of a motorbike, pulled out a gun, and shot Blanco two times before walking back to his bike and disappearing into the city. 

Lesser-Known Facts About Griselda Blanco

• Griselda Blanco was said to have invented drive-by shootings on motorcycles. Unfortunately, it was bad, and the Columbia government made a law that there can’t be two people riding a motorcycle near any governmental building. 
• It was suspected that she killed her three husbands. This is the reason why she was given the nickname- The Black Widow. 

• While in jail, she came up with a plan to kidnap John Kennedy Jr. and use him as a bargaining trick for her freedom. But anything didn’t come up with the plan. 
• It is not confirmed how many people she killed. But it is believed that she killed over 200 people. 
• According to reports, she was a mentee of Pablo Escobar. During her peak, Blanco was running a billion-dollar smuggling empire. However, several people claim that this was not true and they were engaged in a bloody war. 
• She was introduced to the drug business by her husband Carlos, who she later killed. She then started the business herself but relocated to Florida when authorities closed in on her illegal activities.

• She was bi-sexual and said to have orgies with strippers. Later, she executed them for her amusement. 
• She was the only female in a male-dominated business in the world. Also, she was one of the most ruthless drug dealers in the business. 
• In her childhood, she ran away from home to escape the abuse of her alcoholic mother and her mother’s boyfriend. She also began pickpocketing and sold her body for sex. 

• Griselda Blanco was one of the richest drug lords and sold billions of dollars of cocaine in her network. 
• She was known for designing custom-designed underwear with secret pockets to keep drugs. 
• In 2016, it was announced that HBO was making a film about Blanco’s life with Jennifer Lopez as a star. 

Final Words 

Griselda Blanco was the Queen of Cocaine. She continued to be involved in the Colombian drug trade that led to her participation in other crimes. 

Do you know more about Griselda Blanco and her professional life? Do share in the comments section below!