There is a high likelihood that after watching Netflix’s limited series Griselda, you will be left horrified by what you have witnessed. It is possible that you have already seen the entire Narcos universe on the streaming platform and have become desensitized to the brutalities of cartel killings and cocaine trafficking. However, I assure you that whatever you see on Griselda pales in comparison to the actual actions of the woman the show is based on.
The series focuses on a portion of Griselda Blanco’s life, who was the most powerful drug lord in the ’70s and ’80s. She was so ruthless that she even instilled fear in Pablo Escobar, who famously said, “The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.” This is the same Escobar who once bombed a plane in an attempt to kill just one person, yet Griselda Blanco had him trembling in his sandals.
The series begins with Escobar’s quote to prepare you for the intensity that lies ahead. Sofia Vergara portrays Blanco as she expands her cocaine empire from smuggling drugs in women’s underwear to dominating the entire Miami market. She brandishes a gold-plated Uzi, orders the execution of witnesses in front of their children, orchestrates bombings of rival drug dealers’ homes, and forces people to strip and crawl like animals at gunpoint. These are the actions of a power-hungry tyrant fueled by an excessive amount of drugs.
The series, directed by Andrés Baiz, will satisfy your craving for suspense and murder. However, the real-life story of Griselda Blanco may leave you in utter shock. While the show depicts her ordering and committing several murders over its six episodes, the actual number of people who lost their lives because of her is far greater. In fact, former Miami-Dade drug homicide detective Al Singleton estimated in 1994 that she was responsible for at least 40 deaths. To truly comprehend the extent of her murderous reign, you would need to consider every limb on your body (and perhaps a few from the corpses she left behind) to account for the lives taken by the real Griselda Blanco. There have been individuals who have publicly stated that she would observe and find amusement in witnessing her young children consuming cocaine at the tender age of three. Additionally, it has been alleged that she subjected a woman to the horrifying act of having her fingernails forcibly removed before ultimately taking her life. Furthermore, it has been claimed that she orchestrated the murder of each and every one of her three husbands.