Written by Ellie K.
Infamously dubbed the “Queen of Cocaine”, Colombian drug cartel godmother Griselda Blanco, 69, was killed Sept. 3 in a motorcycle assassination.
Upon leaving a local butcher shop in Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, Blanco was shot twice in the head by an unknown hitman on a motorcycle. Accompanying Blanco was her pregnant daughter-in-law, who was unharmed in the altercation.
Thought to have pioneered the practice of drive-by assassinations, Blanco’s demise ironically mirrors her signature style of execution. The Colombian ordered the murder of dozens during her time as leader of the “Cocaine Cowboys”, a cartel known for publicly assaulting rival gangs.
Additionally, Blanco’s close connections with the cartel resulted in the death of two of her sons and three of her husbands.
After spending two decades in a U.S. prison due to conspiracy and three counts of murder, Blanco was released and deported to Colombia in 2004. She kept a relatively low profile until her death last week.
Officials report that the empire Blanco and three of her sons built shipped around 3,400 lbs of cocaine a month at its height during the 1970s and 80s. Many also credit her with the creation of key smuggling routes from Colombia to the United States, particularly those entering Miami.
According the U.K. Daily Mail, former Miami homicide detective Nelson Andreu said, “It’s surprising to all of us that she had not been killed sooner because she made a lot of enemies. When you kill so many and hurt so many people like she did, it’s only a matter of time before they find you and try to even the score.”
