Stanley Tookie Williams is best known for founding the violent Crips gang. Blanco's story was a source of fascination for writers and artists even before her death. Blanco's street smarts and ruthless streak helped her rise to a top level in the infamous Medellin Cartel, garnering her such nicknames as the "Queen of Cocaine" and "Black Widow." This is ironic, because this is the exact type of assassination that she was known to have invented, and she often had her enemies killed this way. After her trial, Blanco was sentenced to more than a decade in jail. [6] At her height, Blanco was one of the richest and most dangerous women in the world, and was the most powerful drug kingpin in the world. He has been charged with cocaine trafficking in the past and has lived undercover for the most of his life. Standing only 5 feet tall, she was a drug-lord of the Medellín cartel during the 1970s and 1980s. [32], Rap group Migos have made references to her in multiple songs, "Portland" by Drake, and their own song "F*** Up the Pot". In the passenger’s pocket was $3,270 in twenties and the keys to the rented red Cadillac getaway car. Some speculated that Ayala botched the case on purpose, fearing that he could be killed by members of Blanco's cartel if he testified. In 2002, Blanco suffered a heart attack while imprisoned. [1], On the night of September 3, 2012, Blanco died after being shot twice; once in the head and once in the shoulder by a motorcyclist in Medellín, Colombia. "[5], Blanco had her youngest son, Michael Corleone Blanco, with her third husband, Darío Sepúlveda. Jun 11, 2018 - Explore Danielle Christmas's board "Griselda Blanco" on Pinterest. Alfred Spellman. Griselda Blanco Restrepo[2] (February 15, 1943 – September 3, 2012), known as La Madrina, the Black Widow, the Cocaine Godmother and the Queen of Narco-Trafficking, was a Colombian drug lord of the Medellín Cartel and a pioneer in the Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld during the 1980s through the early 2000s. [13] While in prison, she continued to effectively run her cocaine business with the help of her son Michael Blanco. See more ideas about colombian drug lord, cocaine, godmother. [citation needed], Blanco was also featured on the Investigation Discovery series Evil Lives Here in an episode called "The Last Blanco". It was said that she had finally left he… Griselda Blanco hitman Jorge Ayala Riverito Griselda Blanco her nemesis eventually turned out to be Jorge Ayala Riverito, her favorite hitman, who, in 1993, facing the death penalty on various murder charges, began trading information about Blanco for a negotiated plea of 25 years in prison. [34], In Comedy Central's Drunk History, season 3, episode 2 ("Miami"), Dan Harmon tells the story of the rise and fall of Blanco, starring Maya Rudolph (as Blanco), Horatio Sanz, and Joe Lo Truglio. Raised by an abusive mother, Blanco turned to a life of crime and prostitution at a young age. Griselda Blanco -- a notorious drug trafficker who ran the infamous Medellin Cartel -- was shot to death in Colombia yesterday. She was profiled in Richard Smitten's 1990 book, The Godmother, and was prominently featured in Billy Corben's 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys, as well as its 2008 sequel. An, as of yet, to be filmed project titled The Godmother is currently in production, starring Jennifer Lopez as Blanco, which she also plans to produce. Griselda Blanco was 69-years-old when she died. [19], Blanco was openly bisexual. [citation needed], Rapper Pusha T references her in his lyrics to "Pain" (2013) – "Put your freedom over failure/Tryna find my Griselda (La Madrina! [1] Before her death in 2012, the last sighting of Blanco was in May 2007 at the Bogotá Airport. Age, Height, Weight & Body Measurement. Blanco lived through a troubled childhood and was even kidnapped not once, but on several occasions by his mother’s foes. (Source: CBS4) MIAMI (CBS4) – She was one of the most ruthless drug traffickers in South Florida history, killing anyone who got … According to reports, two gunmen on motorcycles shot Blanco after she exited a butcher shop. [14], In 2004, Blanco was released from prison and deported to Medellín, Colombia. Griselda was killed on September 3, 2012. Griselda Blanco, know as the "cocaine Godmother" was shot and killed in Colombia. Griselda Blanco is also featured on 3 episodes of the Female Criminals podcast hosted by Parcast ( 2018-03-17, 2018-03-18, 2020-06-14 ). At the time of her death, Blanco had been living quietly in Colombia and was 69 years old. In June 2004, she was released from prison and deported back to Colombia. Instead, she accepted a plea bargain. Blanco was shot to death as she was leaving a butcher shop. Griselda Blanco was born on February 15, 1943 and died on September 3, 2012. But she was feared by many and even dubbed the “Female Tony Montana” due to her lavish lifestyle. [citation needed], French rappers Booba and Maes released a collab hit single intitled "La Madrina" (certified diamond) in which she can be seen on the cover the song. This was a time when cocaine was trafficked more than marijuana. The cabbie couldn’t understand why the police were making such a big deal about a dead deer. For the biographical film based on Blanco's life, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of people deported or removed from the United States, "Comienza extinción de dominio a bienes de Griselda Blanco en Antioquia – RCN Radio", "The life and death of 'cocaine godmother' Griselda Blanco", "Charles Cosby: From Early Childhood to Cocaine and Hustlin, "Griselda Blanco: hasta nunca y gracias por la coca", "QUEENS NOW RULE WHERE KINGPINS ONCE REIGNED: WOMEN ARE RUNNING DRUG RINGS AFTER FALL OF COLOMBIAN sex CARTELS", "Michael Corleone Blanco lives in the shadow of his cocaine-queen mother", "Griselda Blanco's Son Michael Corleone Still Faces Cocaine Trafficking Charge in Miami", "Jennifer Lopez to Star as Drug Lord Griselda Blanco in HBO Film", "Reed Morano in Talks to Direct Jennifer Lopez Drug Lord Drama 'The Godmother, "Lifetime Greenlights 'Cocaine Godmother' Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones", "Hollywood North: Catherine Zeta-Jones filming 'Cocaine Godmother' in Vancouver", "Jacki-O Declares Everything Is Cool With Her And "The Godmother" Griselda Blanco", "Lil' Kim Premieres New Single, 'Hardcore 2K13′ Tracklist", Red Orbit: Cocaine 'Godmother' Released From Prison, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Griselda_Blanco&oldid=996258936, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox person using certain parameters when dead, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2018, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 December 2020, at 13:32. A childhood gang member on the streets of Medellín, Blanco spent her early years as a pickpocket, kidnapper, and prostitute. Griselda Blanco, a.k.a. She escaped from her home at the age of fourteen to avoid sexual abuse. The infamous Griselda Blanco, who grew up in the slums of Medellin and was murdered there at age 69, would go on to command a ruthless crew that … Upon arriving there, she quickly adopted a criminal lifestyle. Following years of investigations, Blanco was arrested by federal agents in 1985 and spent nearly two decades in prison. She became the first-ever billionaire female criminal, ruling her multi-million dollar drug trafficking empire with an iron fist, and becoming one of the deadliest women of all time. [26][27], Buffalo, New York artists Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine use Blanco's name in their label, Griselda by Fashion Rebels, abbreviated as GxFR. Executed in the same "motorcycle assassination" style that she was credited with creating. The Guardian reports: "Blanco, then 32, pulled out a pistol, Bravo responded by producing an Uzi submachine gun and after a blazing gun battle he and six bodyguards lay dead. [28], Rapper The Game references Griselda Blanco in his lyrics to "See No Evil" – "...karma catches up to all you head honchos/ [5] Sepúlveda left her in 1983, returned to Colombia, and kidnapped Michael when he and Blanco disagreed over who would take custody. [citation needed], In the Netflix series Daybreak the career of Griselda Blanco serves as a role model for the child prodigy Angelica and her peddling of prescription drugs. It has been estimated that she was responsible for up to 2,000 murders while transporting cocaine from Colombia to New York, Miami and Southern California. Griselda Blanco Net Worth: Griselda Blanco was a notorious drug trafficker who when working had a peak net worth of $2 billion during her lifetime. Cocaine war queenpin Griselda Blanco ran her smuggling enterprise with an iron fist. [1][8][9] Blanco had become a pickpocket before she even turned 13. In 2004, she was released and sent back to Colombia. )/Might as well, they gon' nail ya/Momma screaming like Mahalia". Blanco was born in Cartagena, Colombia, on the country's north coast. Griselda Blanco's story was often told in numbers: she turned tricks at 14, and moved 300 kilos of cocaine a month in her 40s. Blanco paid to have Sepúlveda assassinated in Colombia, and her son returned to her in Miami. Blanco's trial, which began in New York in June 1985, ended with a conviction on one count of conspiracy to manufacture, import into the United States, and distribute cocaine. To escape the sexual assaults of her mother's boyfriend, Blanco ran away from home at the age of 16 and resorted to looting in Medellín until the age of 20.[1][8]. 13, 2017 11:50PM ET / Published Sep. 05, 2012 11:36AM ET The last picture of Griselda Blanco "Cocaine Queen" or "Godmother" in Medellin, Before her death in 2012, she was last seen in Bogota Airport in May 2007 Sep 4, 2012 By Radar Staff Griselda Blanco, a 69-year-old woman known as the "Godmother PHOTOS: Celebrities Who Died. [12] It was the lawless and corrupt atmosphere, primarily created by Blanco's operations, that led to the gangsters being dubbed the "Cocaine Cowboys" and their violent way of doing business as the "Miami drug war". [17], According to the Miami New Times, "Michael's father and older siblings were all killed before he reached adulthood. Blanco had who had left the shop was gunned down by a man who climbed off a motorbike to carry out his operation. Rayful Edmond III was a notorious drug dealer in the 1980s in Washington, D.C., who made millions supplying the city with crack cocaine. Griselda Blanco Restrepo’s age was 69 years old at the time of her death. [citation needed], Rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again references her in "Slime Belief" (2018) - "Can you make it better/ trap out like Griselda/ post up with barettes/ hustlin through the night". [18] He appeared on a 2018 episode of the Investigation Discovery documentary series, Evil Lives Here, to recount his lonely childhood. Blanco's former lover, Charles Cosby, recounted that at the age of 11, Blanco allegedly kidnapped, attempted to ransom and eventually shot a child from an upscale flatland neighborhood near her own neighborhood. However, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was on Blanco's trail, as part of a wide-ranging investigation termed "Operation Banshee." The following year, Lifetime also threw its hat into the ring with a biopic titled The Cocaine Godmother, with Catherine Zeta-Jones as the titular character. Griselda’s Blanco’s Accumulated Net Worth . [citation needed], Blanco played a minor role in Marlon James' book A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014). Together they had three sons, Dixon, Uber, and Osvaldo,[1] all of them poorly educated,[14] and all of whom were killed in Colombia after being deported following prison sentences in the United States. Her precise whereabouts are unknown. Blanco entered the life of crime at a very early stage of her life. [citation needed], Jada Pinkett Smith used her as a model for her character Fish Mooney on Gotham. Despite being accused of several Florida slayings, she escaped murder charges, and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. And friends say Chucho Castro vowed to kill Griselda Blanco in revenge for his son's death. However, her luck finally ran out in February 1985, when she was captured by DEA agents in Irvine, California. [citation needed], Griselda Blanco's life, from her abusive childhood to her death, was covered on the June 5, 2018 episode of Behind the Bastards, a podcast hosted by Robert Evans [36] and the October 8, 2019 episode of She Sleuths, a true crime podcast hosted by Kristin Harris and Amy Springer. She is believed to have been living a quiet life in Medellin. [citation needed], Rapper Slimesito has a song named "Griselda" which contains multiple references to Blanco. She and her mother, Ana Lucía Restrepo,[7] moved to Medellín when she was three years old. Blanco was a major figure in the history of the drug trade from Colombia to Miami, New York, and California. [citation needed], Rapper Jacki-O released a mixtape entitled Griselda Blanco, La Madrina (2010) as an ode to Blanco's lifestyle and character. Griselda Blanco was a high-level operative in the infamous Medellin Cartel, known for trafficking cocaine in major urban centers like Miami, Florida, and her murderous ways. [3][4][5] She was shot and killed on September 3, 2012, at the age of 69. [citation needed], Rapper Nicki Minaj references Blanco in her freestyle of DaBaby's "Suge" (2019)- "Drug lord, Griselda/ I used to move weight through Delta". In the 1980s, Blanco was living comfortably in a newly purchased home in Miami. Griselda Blanco engaged in criminal activity at an early age and soon found success by trafficking cocaine. Blanco was involved in the drug-related violence known as the Miami Drug War or the Cocaine Cowboy Wars that plagued Miami in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of the pioneers of Colombia’s cocaine trade industry was Griselda Blanco. Facts about Griselda Blanco… In the mid-1970s, Blanco and her second husband Alberto Bravo illegally immigrated to the US with fake passports, settling in Queens, New York. [citation needed], Yeasayer's song "Grizelda" is inspired by Blanco, sung from the perspective of one of her hitmen. She and her mother, Ana Lucía Restrepo, moved to Medellínwhen she was three years old. BOB PALOMBO IS A REGULAR guy, married to … She is also referenced on Minaj's verse on Chance the Rapper's song, "Slide Around" (2019): "Me and my man Griselda and Pablo". Blanco had become a pickpocket before she even turned 13. [citation needed], Blanco was also featured among the Deadly Women top 10 as #3 on the killer countdown. Griselda Blanco's son, Michael Blanco, later gave his blessing to promote the mixtape. [citation needed], Rapper Soolking released in July 2017 a song intitled "blanco griselda". In a strange turn of events, however, the case was thrown out: The star witness in the case, a former hitman for Blanco named Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, had become romantically involved with a secretary in the Florida State Attorney's Office, causing prosecutors to worry about the credibility of Ayala's testimony on the stand. Blanco, who suffered only a minor gunshot wound to the stomach, recovered and soon afterwards moved to Miami, where her body count – and reputation for ruthlessness – continued to climb. According to reports, Blanco was hit in a … He also runs a clothing brand, "Puro Blanco," that refers to his infamous mother. In 2016, it was announced that HBO was developing a film about Blanco's life, with Jennifer Lopez attached to star. In 1984, Blanco's willingness to use violence against her Miami competitors or anyone else who displeased her, led her rivals to make repeated attempts to assassinate her. Griselda Blanco Birthday and Date of Death. [33], Blanco played a significant role in Jon Roberts' book American Desperado (2011). [29], Rapper Lil Kim created alter ego "Kimmy Blanco" as tribute to Blanco; Kim debuted this persona in her 2013 single of the same name. Law enforcement's struggle to put an end to the influx of cocaine into Miami led to the creation of CENTAC 26 (Central Tactical Unit), a joint operation between Miami-Dade Police Department and DEA anti-drug operation.[10][11]. Sometimes called Mr. Untouchable, Leroy 'Nicky' Barnes became one of the biggest drug dealers in New York City during the 1970s. At the time of her death, it was estimated that Griselda Blanco’s net worth was somewhere along the lines of over $2.0 billion!