Griselda: Everything to know about the Ochoa brothers 

Netflix’s new miniseries on the drug cartel, Griselda, is streaming the story of the cocaine godmother. The show touches on many aspects of the true Griselda Blanco’s life while dramatizing a few for storytelling purpose. Colombia’s Ochoa brothers have also been shown in the series, portraying them as one of the most dangerous enemies of the protagonist.

Viewers who have watched 2015’s Narcos will remember the Ochoa brothers from tje series. The three Ochoa brothers, Juan David, Jorge and Fabio, played a significant role in the drug cartel of Medellin, which had many players, including Pablo Escobar. Written by the same writer, Doug Miro, Narcos and Griselda provide a character sketch of the three Ochoas.

The currently streaming miniseries on Queenpin Blanco provides her perspective on the events of the time. The series that follows the black widow through the rise of her empire, arrest and loss of sons, does not provide details about her death or what happened to her contemporaries, allies and enemies.

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Who were the Ochoa brothers shown in Griselda?

File images of Jorge and Fabio Ochoa (Image via Wikipedia)

In the miniseries Griselda, the Ochoa brothers – Juan David, Jorge and Fabio Ochoa Vasquez – are shown as dangerous enemies trying to eliminate Blanco. They seem to be consumed by anger over some misunderstanding about an event that did not happen.

In the plot of the Netflix series, the Ochoas have a cousin Marta, who dies of a drug overdose. Blanco finds it and hides her body. However, after recovering the body, the Ochoa cousins of Marta believe Blanco was responsible for the death. They try to kill her but are eventually unsuccessful.

In reality, the three Ochoa brothers had a sister named Marta who died in a mysterious situation, and the cause is open to speculation. However, it's believed that the Ochoas wanted to take over the drug cartel of Miami from Blanco but failed, leading to a more calculated but vicious enmity.

Being a significant part of the Colombian drug cartel, Jorge, Juan and Fabio Ochoa did tremendous business and became enormously rich, as per Business Insider. The three brothers were featured in the 1987 Forbes list of World Billionaires.

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Where are the Ochoa brothers now?

Julieth Restrepo playing Marta Ochoa in the series (Image via Netflix)

While the series Griselda did not cover much about the Ochoa brothers or Escobar, the Ochoas are believed to have done a roaring drug business till 1991. In Sept. 1990, the then President of Colombia, Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, offered drug traffickers a reduced sentence if they cooperated with the authorities.

As per ScreenRant, all three Ochoa brothers turned themselves to the police in 1991. Pardoned after five and a half years, Jorge Ochoa was released in 1996. Based on a similar plea bargain, the eldest of the brothers, Juan David Ochoa Vasquez, was also released in 1996.

The government released Fabio, the youngest of the Ochoa brothers in 1996, but he was arrested again in 1999 on charges of receiving payments and contributing knowledge about cocaine shipments.

He was extradited to the US in 2001 and convicted in 2003 for his cocaine business there, with a sentence of 30 years in a Federal prison in the States.

Fabio’s legal team has requested a five-year reduction in the sentence which the federal courts have not yet agreed. Juan, the eldest, suffered a heart attack in July 2013 and expired. Jorge Ochoa Vasquez is believed to be living in Colombia.

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Summing up about Griselda

Griselda is a miniseries on Netflix about the cocaine queen of Colombia and Miami.

It presents her life showcasing her struggles, innovative strategies and losses. Sofia Vergara plays the lead character, supported by Christian Tappan, Vanessa Ferlito, Diego Trujillo, Maximiliano Hernandez and others.

While it's not a spinoff of Narcos, the storyline has a reference to the characters like the Ochoas, with Julieth Restrepo playing Marta Ochoa. Many actors and crew members from Narcos are part of the Griselda team.

The Sofia Vergara miniseries, released on January 25, 2024, is streaming on Netflix.