Sofía Vergara brings Griselda Blanco’s story to the small screen

Sofía Vergara is set to shed her “Modern Family” image in the upcoming series “Griselda,” where she takes on the role of a murderous drug dealer, renowned as Columbian “Cocaine Godmother”. Notably, Vergara is not only the lead actress but also serves as an executive producer for the show.

The show delves into the life of Griselda Blanco, a formidable drug smuggler in the 1970s and 1980s, credited with establishing trafficking routes between Colombia, a major cocaine producer, and the United States.

Blanco was arrested in 1985 on charges of conspiring to manufacture, import, and distribute cocaine. Following a federal trial in New York City, she was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years.

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During her sentence, Blanco faced additional charges of three counts of first-degree murder. She later pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder in 1998, receiving a concurrent 20-year sentence. Upon her release from prison in 2004, she returned to Colombia. She was murdered in 2012.

Reportedly mentoring drug lord Pablo Escobar, who dominated Colombia’s cocaine trade until his death in 1993, Blanco’s legacy remains complex.

Vergara reflected on her role and admitted to finding herself admiring Griselda, despite reservations.

“I wanted to think from the beginning that Griselda started everything with very good intentions, the intentions of a mother that wanted to survive, to protect, to sacrifice everything for her kids,” she said. “But then you realize there were other things inside of her that were triggered by different things that at the end, made her the monster that she became.”

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Blanco’s estate is currently pursuing legal action to halt the show’s release, a move that doesn’t worry executive producer Eric Newman.

“You’re nobody until somebody sues you. It’s just kind of the way it works,” he said. “I dealt with it with the Escobar family way back when, you know? No, nothing could dampen the excitement we feel about this show.”

“Griselda” streams on Netflix on Thursday (January 25).