On January 25, Netflix released a new show to cover Griselda Blanco’s story as a female drug lord and a cold-hearted killer, starring Sofia Vergara for her first Spanish-speaking act.

Most drug lord stories you see covered on Netflix are about men except this one is different; it revolves around one woman: Griselda Blanco played by Sofia Vergara. Griselda Blanco, the “Godmother of cocaine,” wasn’t given the name for no reason, being found guilty of kidnapping, murder, and of course, drug trafficking. With her ruthless methods of selling, she proved her worth in the game. 

Blanco started at a very young age, reportedly helping kidnap a boy and shooting him dead as his family had refused to pay a ransom. Still a teenager, Blanco had gotten married to a small criminal and in several years, she had ordered a kill after the divorce. Through Alberto Bravo, her new husband, she became involved in the cocaine trade.

Using New York as their trading base, Blanco and her husband had created a pretty successful business together.

In 1975, to avoid conviction, Blanco and her family moved back to Columbia after facing drug conspiracy charges. Later that year, Blanco and her husband had a shootout under Blanco’s belief that Bravo had been stealing money. 

Although not much of this is seen covered in the Netflix documentary, besides the last shootout she had with her husband, I think they do a pretty good job capturing what happens after that, expressing the heartlessness she had and the multiple murders ordered on her rivals. Most importantly, the number of people who doubted her because she was a woman.