On Monday, 69-year-old Griselda Blanco, a notorious drug lord in Columbia, was shot to death by an assassin in Western Medellin, Columbia.
Blanco was known as the "Godmother of Cocaine," and was listed as one of "the most notorious drug lords of the 1980s," according to ABC News. Blanco served 20 years for drug trafficking in an American prison. She was also said to be involved in as many as 40 murders according to Michael Horn, director of Drug Enforcement Administration International Operations. In 1985, she was arrested in Irvin California and convicted of drug trafficking through routes between Miami and Columbia, for which she served 20 years after which she was deported back to Columbia in 2004. Although she was not convicted, she was a major suspect in the 1979 Dadeland mall shootout in Miami.
According to Columbian newspaper El Colombiano, Blanco was returning from a butchers shop when a motorcyclist approached her and shot her down. Police are investigating her death, the alleged shooter have not yet been caught. According to former Miami homicide detective Nelson Andreu, "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," as reported by Time.
Blanca was also known as "Queen of Cocaine," "The Black Widow," and "La Madrina." The investigation is ongoing. Columbian authorities have refused to comment as of now.
