The fictionalized portrayal of Griselda Blanco’s life story on Netflix, titled Griselda, introduces an intriguing character—an unyielding Colombian female drug lord who skillfully utilized her guise as an ordinary housewife to dominate the streets of Miami. The series commences with a quote underscoring Blanco’s formidable reputation, revealing that even notorious figures like Pablo Escobar feared her.
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Onscreen, Blanco’s narrative unfolds primarily through the perspectives of other women—friends, employees, and adversaries. While some of these characters are as authentic as Griselda, others are purely fictional.
Here’s a look at several pivotal characters in the series, exploring whether there’s an actual person inspiring each personality.
Griselda Blanco played by Sofía Vergara (Real)
In the series, Blanco arrives in the US with the aspiration of providing a better life for her sons. However, their lives become entangled in a web of violence and drugs.
The compelling nature of her life story in the drama series is so convincing that her sole surviving son, Michael Corleone Sepúlveda Blanco, is currently pursuing legal action against Netflix and Sofía Vergara, alleging the unauthorized use of this material without compensation or attribution.
June Hawkins played by Juliana Aidén Martinez (Real)
In the series, June Hawkins, portrayed by Juliana Aidén Martinez, is the Miami police officer instrumental in dismantling Griselda’s operations. Much like Blanco, Hawkins is depicted as being consistently underestimated. Her instincts are disregarded, her reports go unnoticed, and her relationship with her young son strains.
Carla played by Karol G (Fiction)
While there isn’t a specific real-life woman linked to Carla, a sex worker-turned-drug mule pivotal to Griselda’s beginnings in the US, other portrayals of Blanco’s ascent suggest the involvement of numerous Colombian women in her drug-smuggling operations.
District Attorney played by Eva La Dare (Real)
In the series, a woman credited as the District Attorney (DA) catches another engaging in phone s*x with the prosecution’s key witness against Blanco.
While the on-screen portrayal may not precisely mirror real events, it’s a fact that at least one secretary in the DA’s office was recorded having phone conversations of a sexual nature with Blanco’s primary hitman.
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The specific identity of the secretary involved in the 1998 phone s*x scandal is challenging to determine. News clips from that time indicate that multiple women faced consequences, including temporary suspensions, firings, and one individual being cleared in connection to the scandal.
The miniseries, directed by Andrés Baiz, comprises six episodes and is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
