Hollywood Gives Colombian Drug Lord 'Cocaine Godmother' Griselda a Makeover

Pablo Escobar once described Griselda Blanco as the only person he was ever afraid of. Blanco was a ruthless criminal mastermind who created one of the most profitable drug cartels in history in 1970s and 80s Miami. Now, she is getting a Hollywood makeover as Sofía Vergara joins forces with the team behind "Narcos" to portray Blanco on Netflix's six-part series, "Griselda." The show presents Blanco as a savvy and ambitious woman, but the true story of the "cocaine godmother" is far darker. Born in Colombia, Blanco was involved in criminal activity from a young age and later immigrated to the US. She became involved in drug trafficking, ordered the murders of her husbands, and built a vast criminal empire. Despite ruling the narco empire for two decades, Blanco knew her position was precarious as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She recruited outsiders to work for her and developed her own group of hitmen. Eventually, Blanco's empire began to unravel, and she was arrested and spent two decades in prison. Blanco was later deported to Colombia, where she lived a quiet life until she was shot dead in 2012. Despite her gripping story, Blanco is often forgotten in history. Vergara, who was born in Colombia herself, was initially unaware of Blanco's existence and found it impossible to believe her story was true. Nevertheless, she was drawn to play Blanco because of the character's complexity. The series "Griselda" will be available on Netflix from January 25.