Griselda, the latest biopic series on Netflix, was created by the same team behind Narcos and this time again focuses on the world of drugs. But one question remains: did Griselda Blanco know Pablo Escobar?
It is in the guise of actress Sofia Vergara that the drug baroness comes back to life before the eyes of Netflix subscribers: the limited series Griselda has just been released on the streaming platform, and focuses on a major figure in the industry drug trafficking in the 1970s and 1980s.
Griselda Blanco is at the origin of one of the most profitable cartels in history, and her reputation made many people shudder. She quickly inherited the titles of “godmother of cocaine” and “queen of coca” , after establishing herself in Miami.
Its story was studied and taken up by the same creative team behind another series of the same genre: Narcos. After Pablo Escobar, it was in fact Griselda Blanco that Doug Miro, Eric Newman and Andrés Baiz went to see. But since the two famous personalities reigned around the same time, one might wonder: did they know each other?
Did Griselda Blanco know Pablo Escobar?
According to several sources, Griselda Blanco actually knew Pablo Escobar.
Although most of her notoriety as the “Godmother of Cocaine” was created in Miami in the 1980s, many believe Blanco was a member of the Medellín Cartel, led by Escobar. Some also believe that Blanco earned her nickname “La Madrina” (The Godmother) because of her ties to Escobar, known as “El Padrino” (The Godfather).
While Escobar began smuggling in the early 1970s, the official cartel was not established until 1976. Blanco also began to be active in the drug world in the 1970s, but did not It gained independence only a decade later.
Several sources contradict each other, however: Griselda Blanco and Pablo Escobar could also certainly have been rivals during the 1970s. Some believe that, although Escobar eventually surpassed her in terms of influence, Blanco had already established her legacy long before her arrival or that of the cartel. Continuing to rule until the 2000s, Blanco also outlasted Escobar.
In the Netflix series, a connection is established between Griselda Blanco and Pablo Escobar even before the first scene begins. Early on in Episode 1, a quote from Escobar appears, stating, “The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.”
However, Pablo Escobar was not depicted in the series, which instead focused on Griselda Blanco’s other allies and rivals.
Of course, the other obvious connection between the two drug lords is the city of Medellín itself, where they both “practiced” – and where both would meet their deaths. A death which, once again, presents similarities: if Pablo Escobar was killed by a bullet in the head while trying to flee in 1993, Griselda Blanco was shot dead during an assassination on a motorbike in 2012.
The Griselda series has been fully available on Netflix since January 25, 2024.
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