Griselda Blanco, often called “The Godmother of Cocaine” or “La Madrina”, was a drug trafficker.
She became one of the most notorious and influential figures in the global drug trade during the 1970s and 1980s.
As the main force behind the Medellín Cartel’s cocaine smuggling operation into the United States, her activities were notorious for their brutality and violence.
Blanco, originally from Colombia, moved to the United States, where she built a vast criminal empire, contributing significantly to the drug war raging in Miami.
File
- Full name: Griselda Blanco Restrepo
- Nicknames: Black Widow, La Madrina, Cocaine Godmother
- Date of birth: February 15, 1943
- Age as of 2024: 81 years old (Died in 2012)
- Gender: Female
- Place of birth: Cartagena, Colombia
- Nationality: Colombian
- Occupation: Drug dealer
- Height: 1.52 meters
- Parents: Fernando Blanco, Ana Lucia Restrepo
- Siblings: Nury del Socorro Restrepo de Valencia
- Spouse: Carlos Trujillo, Alberto Bravo, Dario Sepúlveda
- Children: Dixon Trujillo, Uber Trujillo, Osvaldo Trujillo, Michael Corleone Blanco
- Relationship status: N/A (Multiple times widowed)
- Religion: Catholic (said to have become a born-again Christian later on)
- Ethnicity: Spanish
- Net worth: 2 billion USD
Early life and education
Griselda Blanco was born in Cartagena, Colombia, on February 15, 1943. Raised by her mother, Ana Lucia Restrepo, she moved to Medellín at the age of three.
Growing up in poverty, Blanco soon turned to crime. When she was just 11 years old, she was involved in the kidnapping and murder of a boy, marking the beginning of her violent criminal career.
By the age of 14, she had run away from home because of her mother’s abusive behavior and had to work as a prostitute to survive in Medellín.
Blanco’s early education is not well documented and it appears that she had no formal schooling after her early years, instead turning to a life of crime to overcome her harsh environment yours.
Personal life
Griselda Blanco’s personal life was as tumultuous as her criminal career. She was married several times, with her first marriage to Carlos Trujillo occurring while she was a teenager.
The couple had three children, Dixon, Uber and Osvaldo, who later became involved in her criminal activities.
However, the marriage ended violently when Blanco ordered Trujillo’s death over a business disagreement.
Her second husband, Alberto Bravo, introduced her to the cocaine trade, but their relationship also ended in violence when Blanco shot and killed him during a dispute in 1975.
Blanco’s third relationship, with Dario Sepúlveda, resulted in the birth of her youngest son, Michael Corleone Blanco.
This marriage also ended in tragedy when Sepúlveda kidnapped their son during a custody battle, leading Blanco to order his assassination in 1983.
Career
Blanco’s criminal career began in earnest when she moved to the United States in the 1970s and established a cocaine trafficking network in New York.
Her operations quickly expanded and by the late 1970s, she was at the helm of one of the largest drug distribution empires in the United States.
Her violent methods sparked the infamous “Miami Drug War” of the early 1980s, during which her criminal organization frequently clashed with other drug cartels.
Despite his arrest in 1985, Blanco continued to control his empire from prison, securing his position as a central figure in the global cocaine trade.
After nearly two decades in prison, she was released and deported back to Colombia in 2004, where she lived until her death in 2012.
Net worth
At the height of its power in the 1980s, Griselda Blanco’s drug empire was estimated to bring in $80 million a month.
At her peak, her net worth was said to be around $2 billion, mainly accumulated through large-scale cocaine operations in the United States, especially in Miami.
However, this wealth is directly tied to her illegal activities and notorious reputation as one of the most ruthless figures in the global drug trade.
Death
On September 3, 2012, Griselda Blanco was assassinated in Medellín, Colombia. An unidentified gunman riding a motorbike shot her twice in the head as she walked out of a butcher shop.
Her death mirrors the same assassination methods she popularized during her time as a drug lord in Miami, a place known for hiring hitmen on motorbikes to carry out murders.
Blanco’s violent ending marks the end of a life defined by crime, power and bloodshed.
Argumentative
Griselda Blanco’s entire life was shrouded in controversy, starting with her early involvement with crime.
Famous for her cruelty, she is believed to have committed more than 40 murders, including the deaths of her husband and rival.
Blanco’s role in the Miami Drug War is perhaps the most infamous aspect of her criminal career. She introduced extreme violence to the drug trade, orchestrating multiple assassinations and using brutal tactics to eliminate competition.
One particularly controversial case involved the death of a two-year-old boy in a drive-by shooting, which shocked even her most hardened associates.
In addition, her relationships were fraught with scandal, as she allegedly ordered the murder of her husband when they made a pass at her.
In her later years, despite being in prison, Blanco’s legend grew, with documentaries and films portraying her as both a feared and notorious figure in the world of drug trafficking.
Even in death, her story continues to captivate the public, with renewed interest generated by television series like Netflix’s 2024 film Griselda.
Social Media
- Instagram: Not applicable
- Twitter: Not applicable
Cinema
- Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
- Cocaine Cowboy II: Hustlin’ with Godmother (2008)
- Cocaine Godmother (2018)
