Presenting a grisly list: 25 Facts about Griselda Blanco and The Cocaine Cowboys! Let’s face it, Griselda Blanco was a bloodthirsty drug lord. She used murder and mayhem to build her drug empire, and no one was safe from her evil ways.
Blanco committed some heinous acts. They included killing her lovers, forcing children to become mules, and people having sex with her at gunpoint.
Interestingly, she was also remembered as a loving mother and businesswoman. There’s no denying it, Blanco was a fascinating person. So without further ado, here are 25 facts about Griselda Blanco and The Cocaine Cowboys.

Catherine Zeta-Jones played her in a movie
She is said to have invented drive by shootings on motorcycles
Apparently, it was so bad that Colombia made a law that said there can’t be two people riding a motorcycle near any governmental building.
She was killed by a shooter on a motorcycle
Yes, this is very ironic but in 2012 Blanco was shot in the head outside a butcher shop. The killer was described as middle age and very calm and collected during the killing.
She named her son Michael Corleone
It was said that Griselda Blanco was a huge movie buff and named her son, Michael Corleone, after the main character in The Godfather.
She supposedly killed her 3 husbands
It was never proven that she did murder her men, but everyone suspected and it was because of this she was given the nickname “The Black Widow.”
One of her inventions was drug smuggling underwear
At the time she was moving kilos upon kilos of cocaine into the country so she had to be creative. She invented underwears lined with secret compartments for hiding drugs.
She had a plan to kidnap JFK Jr.
While sitting in jail she came up with a plot for the cartel to kidnap John Kennedy Jr. and use him as a bargaining chip for her freedom. Fortunately, nothing came of this plot.
Her suspected death toll was 200
No one knows officially how many people Griselda Blanco killed but it was very high. She allegedly killed a two-year-old boy when she ordered a hit on her enemy, Jesus “Chucho” Castro. He was the intended target, but his boy was the one killed. That suited Blanco just fine. Apparently, when Blanco heard about accidental killing, she was happy. She believed they were even.
Her son Michael is on a reality show
Cartel Crew is a reality show about the children of various cartel members. Michael Corleone Blanco is one of the stars of the show.
She was only convicted of 3 murders
It is more than likely she committed more killings than this but the D.A. was only able to convict her of three murders. one of those murders was a mass killing in the 70s at the Dadeland Mall.
She was called La Madrina
One of her nicknames, along with The Black Widow, was La Madrina. It translates to The Godmother. The story goes that she got this nickname after she killed one of her enemies and shouted “I’m the f–ing Godmother.
She is the mastermind behind the Miami Cocaine Wars
If you lived in Miami during the 80s then you probably remember The Cocaine Cowboys and the amount of violence that occurred. Griselda Blanco was behind most, if not all of it.
One of her many enemies was Pablo Escobar
Another name associated with drug dealing and violence was Pablo Escobar. Some say he was a protege of Blanco. However, many people claim this was not accurate and the two had engaged in a bloody war instead.
She was known to throw quite the fiesta
When she wasn’t committing mass murder and selling large quantities of cocaine, la madrina was known to throw wild parties filled with drug dealers, prostitutes and plenty of drugs.
She started her drug business in New York
She was introduced to the drug game by her first husband Carlos Trujillo who she later ended up killing. She went into business by herself and even though business was good, she had to relocate to Florida when authorities closed in her illegal activities.
She was known to be quite sadistic
She forced men to have sex with her
When she started using her own product she became crazier and crazier. She had reportedly gained a lot of weight and started making men and women have sex with her at gunpoint.
She used many people as drug mules
Yes, that’s right. She used men, women, children, senior citizens. Basically, everyone was a pawn and was forced to help The Godmother smuggle drugs into the country.
She was the first female drug lord in History
It was because she was the only female in a male-dominated business that drove Blanco to become the ruthless person she was. She was said to be one of the most ruthless, violent, drug dealers in the business.
Her first murder was at 11
She had helped kidnap a boy from a rich part of town near the slums she grew up in and when the boys family refused to pay the ransom she shot him.
She found religion for herself
After serving nearly 20 years in prison. Griselda Blanco became a born again Christian but it was too late as her past caught up with her and she was killed with a bible in her hand.
She had a very troubled childhood
Griselda Blanco ran away from home to escape the abuse of her alcoholic mother and her mother’s boyfriends. While on the streets she began pickpocketing and selling her body for sex.
She ran her drug business even while in prison
While in prison Griselda was still running her drug operation and ordering executions. You can’t say that she wasn’t dedicated. She managed to do this for 19 years.
She was born in Colombia
Griselda Blanco was born on February, 15 1943, in Cartagena, Colombia to Ana Lucia Restrepo.
She was one of the richest drug lords
She is rumored to have sold hundreds of billions of dollars of cocaine and her net was said to be two billion dollars.