Hi everyone, this is Angelina, isnewstime.com writer. Our whole team writes articles for this website, and we follow international media trends. Today we’re examining details from the Netflix miniseries “Griselda” – both what it got right and wrong about the life of drug lord Griselda Blanco.
Custody Battle for Michael Corleone
The series accurately depicts the custody battle between Blanco and fourth husband Dario Sepulveda over son Michael Corleone. Named for the Godfather character, Michael was kidnapped by Sepulveda during the couple’s separation. Sepulveda kept Michael in Colombia for years before being assassinated in front of the boy in 1983. Michael was then returned to Blanco two years before her arrest.
“Sepulveda could only keep Michael from his mother for so long.”
Michael later got involved in drug trafficking himself but has since left the business. He is currently suing the creators of Griselda, claiming they used his life story without permission.
The Dand Massacre
The show also correctly depicts the July 1979 shooting at a Miami liquor store that killed Blanco associates Hernan Jimenez Panesso and Juan Carlos Hernandez. While Blanco wasn’t prosecuted, she almost certainly ordered the brazen, machine-gun attack that also wounded two bystanders.
“Witnesses were just beside themselves…ended up being shot at with machine guns while there.”
The assassins fled in a van marked “Happy Time Complete Party Supply,” cementing Blanco’s notoriety. As one investigator noted: “The bloody trail continued from that point on.”
Blanco’s Sons Died After Her Incarceration
However, the series takes creative license by having all three of Blanco’s eldest sons killed right before her release from prison to maximize her suffering. Über and Osvaldo were murdered during her imprisonment, but it’s unclear exactly when Dixon died.
Pablo Escobar Knew Blanco
While Escobar doesn’t appear onscreen much, Griselda accurately quotes him saying the only person he feared was Blanco. The two traffickers competed viciously for territory in Colombia, with Blanco refusing to back down.
“Escobar recognized the power that Blanco commanded, making her a potential threat.”
Their mutual ruthlessness meant Colombia wasn’t big enough for both masterminds.
Jorge Ayala’s Phone Sex Scandal
In another factual twist, Griselda shows how hitman Jorge Ayala became a star witness against Blanco until a phone sex scandal ruined his credibility. Ayala didn’t have scandalous calls with one official, however – it was multiple secretaries. Still, this outlandish chapter derailed the case against Blanco.
Griselda blends fact and fiction to dramatize the rise and fall of a feared female drug lord. While embellishing some parts of the story, key events accurately capture Blanco’s trail of blood and trauma, explaining how she earned names like “The Black Widow.” Whether accurate or not, Blanco’s legend clearly still fascinates audiences today.
Let me know your thoughts on Griselda in the comments.