Where did Griselda Blanco get caught? Date and location of arrest explored

Griselda, based on the true story of Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco, stars Sofía Vergara as the ruthless Miami cartel head. This Netflix original series follows the rise and fall of the Godmother of Cocaine, a highly lucrative and deadly drug dealer in the 1970s and 1980s.

Following a ten-year hunt, Griselda Blanco was apprehended by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers in Irvine, California, on February 17, 1985. Blanco went to Miami in the late 1970s and brutalized her rivals, igniting the Cocaine Cowboy Wars throughout the city. She reportedly devised motorcycle-riding gunmen to perpetrate multiple killings.

Vergara as Griselda Blanco (Image via Netflix)

Many of the deaths, including a 1979 mall shootout, happened in broad daylight. Blanco became one of the world's richest drug traffickers, using brutality and cunning. She reportedly transported over three tons of cocaine into the US annually, earning $80 million every month. Blanco embraced her criminal side, naming one child, Michael Corleone, after a Godfather mafia figure.

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The date and location of Griselda Blanco's arrest explored

The United States v. Blanco, as provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated that in April 1975, upon the return of the charges, Blanco, a citizen of Colombia, was residing within the country. The district court issued an arrest warrant for her in May 1975. That same year, Charles Cecil, a DEA special agent, initiated an investigation into Blanco's whereabouts.

Cecil obtained Blanco's address in Colombia from an informant by 1977 and subsequently implemented various strategies to monitor her whereabouts and ascertain whether she had entered the United States.

After intensifying its surveillance and investigation, the DEA exonerated Blanco on February 17, 1985, in Irvine, California. Blanco provided imprisoned DEA agents with an alias, and it was discovered that she had counterfeit identification documents.

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All the details of Griselda Blanco's arrest

Griselda Blanco fled to California in 1984 to avoid competitors and danger. However, she was arrested and brought to New York on the 1975 drug charges the following year. In 1985, she was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in jail, although she ran her own business. Blanco was accused of almost 200 killings, and police sought further accusations.

Blanco was accused of three murders in 1994 when one of her hitmen, Jorge Ayala, testified against her. She was charged with murdering a former enforcer's two-year-old boy during a botched attempt on his father's life. However, Ayala's credibility was tarnished when it was found that he had been having phone sex with the prosecuting attorney's office secretaries.

Blanco came out of prison in 2004 due to health problems. In 2002, she had a heart attack in prison. After being sent back to Medellín, Colombia, Blanco was reported to have lived a quiet life. On September 3, 2012, two assailants on a motorcycle killed her, just as they frequently accused her of killing people.

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The Netflix series details a significant portion of Griselda Blanco's life, with Vergara expertly playing the role of a drug kingpin while also delving into the motherhood and gender identity of her fellow Colombian. She displayed a multifaceted nature, including that of a mother, villain, lover, and murderer.