All language subtitles for COCAINE_COWBOYS_2.Title1

storyteller: person who with talent
brings stories

We drive to Brookfield Village.

That's where I've lived
since I was eight months old.

That's where Oakland begins and is
also Brookfield, along 98th Avenue.

Oakland's middle class lives
largely in the hills

on the outskirts of the city,

The core, especially blacks,
live in the center,

Brookfield was pretty safe. You kept
an eye out for your neighbors.

It was a close-knit community
of some 5,000 residents.

Everyone addressed each other
by first name.

There was little crime.
Lots of black traders.

It was a prosperous community.

This is where everything started.
This is my home.

a real "nigga

I was the youngest of four,
an idyllic little family.

My father was a good family man,
but he led a double life.

But then it came out
That my father was gay.

One evening
my mother picked up the phone

and heard how my father
said to another man

That he would suck him off and that he would get
would get screwed in the ass.

So their marriage foundered
and things went downhill with us, too.

I remember that night
sitting in my park. It was already dark.

lk was 28 months old.

My sister was thirteen at the time,
my brother Belahora was eleven.

My other brother was seven or eight.

When father came home,
he and my mother got into an argument.

He began to use physical force
and punched her in the face.

My mother fell. Then
My big brothers attacked father.

My mother lifted me out of my playpen
lifted me up and ran to the neighbors.

There we waited for the police.
When we got back home in the morning,

my father arrived with his father
and mother, my grandparents.

They then took all his things.

My ma then began
drowning her sorrows.

Sometimes she left for work Sat.

She was a nurse
at Samuel Merritt Hospital.

She worked at night. As a result
we were free to do mischief.

I spent my free time
on the streets.

From the age of seven
I was on my own.

I tried to avoid trouble,
but it was difficult.

When I was twelve I wanted to be a lawyer.
I even read law books.

I wanted to be a criminal lawyer,
mostly for the money,

but soon things turned out differently.

I was in my senior year
when halfway through the school year

crack made its appearance in Oakland.

No drug made
rise so quickly until now

as the so-called crack,

It is the cheapest, most powerful and

It terrorizes Oakland
California,

Guys my age,
16 or 1 7 years old, had their own car.

Some even had their own flat

ln many neighborhoods

little rascals turned
into entrepreneurs,

So much money.
Where does that come from?

Sometimes you arrest fourteen-year-old guys
with a few thousand dollars in their pockets.

Every teenager in Oakland
wanted to sell crack back then.

I'm not going to work at McDonald's
for a handout.

I want to make money fast.
Why should I wait?

ex-partner of Charles Cosby

If you accept a normal job,
you have to put yourself out for someone else.

Then you have to get up early
or work at night.

After a whole month of work, you're
barely enough left to live.

Why show off when you can just turn on your
cell phone or then turn on your pager ?

When it rings,
you know you make $5,000.

How much can you earn?

If you do it full time,
up to $5,000 a day,

That was a source of income
that no one looked down on back then.

Everyone was happy then
to make money.

Money, money, money.

Staggering profits,
up to a million dollars a week,

We already have $500,000.
Do we hand out the rest?

Tell you what,
we'll hand them out to the poor.

Totally agree.
We hand them out to the poor.

If money can make the difference between
being sad or happy, I want a lot of money.

I wanted to become a dealer.

My ambition shifted from
becoming a lawyer to becoming a criminal.

I knew a guy
they called Banana.

He sold some stuff here and there.

I asked him
if he could get me started

and promised to reimburse him promptly.

He agreed
and from now on we would work together.

That first gram, I didn't know
what to do with that.

Banana had to teach me
how to make crack from the powder.

That's an art you don't just
master

and who made me the Michael Jordan
of crack.

with sodium bicarbonate.

You pour that into a glass pitcher
and you add water to it.

You put those on the fire
and after only five minutes

in a yellow, jelly-like liquid.

You remove the pitcher from the heat and add
ice cubes to cool it down.

At the same time, let the contents rotate counter
clockwise.

Add some more ice cubes.

The lumps are beginning to form.

Add cold water,
so that the chunks harden.

Once it's hard, take a knife
or even a cleaver to break it up

in $10 or $20 pieces of crack.

Crack has become the drug
of America,

Crack is everywhere.
- Teleport me to the Enterprise.

It was an open-air market.

No guns.
We were just selling crack.

We were young people
who wanted to make some money.

This is the corner where the legend
of Charles Cosby began,

the corner of Ghormley and St Elmo.

This is the first place
where I sold crack.

That was in 1984,
which now seems like a million years ago.

In the beginning I was making
$300 to $500 a day,

depending on how long I stayed.

When my ounce was sold,
I had $4,000.

I refunded Banana the $2,000
refunded and kept 2000.

With that $2,000, I bought from Banana
bought another ounce.

This is 8th Street
in east Oakland.

The building behind me
became my first crackhouse, in 1984.

A client of mine wanted to
some extra income and free drugs.

I gave her 40 dollars a day
to be allowed to sell drugs at her place.

From here I opened
opened other crack properties.

After six months, I managed three.

Every two days
I earned $1,000.

After six months...

It was like trading a hot dog stand
traded in for a restaurant.

Business was booming.

You have to take advantage of your opportunities.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring ?

It is not said that I will be
still there, but I'm trying to survive.

ln the beginning
there was no violence.

But after a year, the attacks began,
the robberies, the murders...

Murder in Oakland, Rival gangs
vie for drug monopoly,

A common fact,

The old neighborhoods are battlefields,

Many victims
and perpetrators are still very young,

Now the schools not only have
monuments to fallen soldiers,

For those who died in the streets,

I live among wolves.

If I don't want to be torn apart,
I must be a wolf myself.

I will not be pushed around.

If you want to rob me, just be
prepared, because it may backfire.

You don't get off easy.
That's not my style.

I'm not an instigator,
but neither am I a coward.

This is where my partner, Banana, was killed.

What happened after that ,
prompted me to flee

and hiding out with friends.

He was standing on the corner of 100th
and MacArthur one evening in 1984.

You always had vultures
who wanted to rob the dealers.

They stepped up to Banana and pointed
pointed a gun at his stomach.

He never carried much money, but
replied that they would get nothing.

He was instantly dead.

People have figured out
who was behind the murder.

We knew only the law of the street
and took the law into our own hands.

In revenge, two buddies of the guy
who had shot Banana were killed.

Then I learned from a good source
that they were targeting me.

I took my money and two guns
and left for a year.

I feared for my life. I was only
eighteen and took the bus to Fresno.

Ten months after I left, the
money ran out: $30,000 in cash.

Clothes, restaurants,
sex with different girls...

$30,000, that's up quickly.
It's actually not that much money.

I was broke. I had to go back
to Brookfield Village, to Oakland,

and doing what I was good at:
selling crack.

I pray to God every night
That I may endure for four more years.

I don't like going out the door,
because these people have no mercy.

Either you are on their side,
or you die.

I was broke. I had no
opportunity to make money quickly.

I was desperate.

I was prepared to kill
or rob a bank.

I'd rather die than
flat broke. Money means power.

Upon my return
I found my mates again.

ln the meantime, they had become vultures.

They kidnapped a dealer
and robbed him.

We visored one in particular,
one of the largest in the city.

We picked him out because he always had
carrying a lot of cash

or large amounts of crack.

Besides, he was easy prey.

He was not very stout and
at first no one had bodyguards.

We waited until 2 a.m.
in front of the apartment where he was dealing.

We knew he was there,
because his Cadillac was out front.

For an hour we waited in the car
waiting. We were parked here.

We kept an eye on the portal.

We saw the dealer come out
with a brown paper bag.

As he got into his car,
we crossed the street.

I pointed my gun at him
and said, This is a robbery.

I made him open the door
and me and a buddy got in

And drove to Brookfield.

I took his bag
and it was full of crack,

ready for sale.

We got home at three in the morning
got home.

There were four or five junkies hanging around.
I sent those away.

We took the dealer inside
and tied him up.

We split the drugs. I wanted to
kill two birds with one stone, too,

so I took out my phone
to demand a ransom.

We called his partners
and demanded $50,000.

We agreed to meet in Oakland.

When we had the money,
$50,000 in a bag,

we drove to San Francisco
and released him there.

With no consequences.
He was happy to be alive.

February 1985

I opened another crackhouse
and got my act together again.

A new year, a new world.

That was my room at the time.

I was in my bed doing some zapping.

Then I saw something about a Colombian

Who had been arrested in lrvine,
in California.

According to police, she is allegedly
responsible for 200 murders

over the course of ten years
of drug wars,

I watched and was completely upset.

I did not know that such quantities
were being traded,

By a woman then.

And the murders she
would have... Insane.

A Colombian drug lord,

regarded as

A dealer collecting a billion dollars in
cash. That's incredible.

I didn't even know that existed.

When I saw the news report, I was
amazed at her criminal acrobatics

and of what she had accomplished
on the streets of the U.S.

I started to idolize her.

I thought if I could meet her,
I thought I could get something out of it.

June 1991

My business was going nicely.

I could buy cars, always had
up to $40,000 cash at my disposal.

Incredible,
that money flowing in.

When I think back to the beginning,
when I was twelve or thirteen.

Where was all that money in those days ?

That must have been the maximum
I could earn at that time

in subsequent years.

We called money "go" back then.

With money you can get anywhere, without
money you keep traipsing on the spot.

If you have money,
you can get ahead. Go.

There was sometimes little supply in Oakland.

Was a deal unachievable with one ,
I'd talk to another.

I bought what was available.
You didn't have big dealers in Oakland.

The city was up for grabs

and I was at the top
of the food chain.

When I heard about Griselda Blanco,

many years later,
I wondered how she managed

I was six years later
still amazed.

Then I wrote to 'r.

'You are the greatest queen
of all time.

I have admired you
since I first heard about you.

I would love
talk to you about all kinds of things.

I appreciate you and I admire you,
because you are a real woman.

You are my idol.
I hope to meet you someday.

Charles was always smart.

He sees on TV someone who has been arrested
and decides to write to her.

I never would have thought of that.
I would have thought: That one's hanging.

But he writes to her.

Three days later, she called me.

I was nervous
and didn't know what to say.

I had been waiting for that for six years.

She: Can I speak to Charles?
Me: That's who you are speaking to.

Then she said, How are you?
With Griselda Blanco.

Why this sudden interest ?

I replied
That I wanted to meet a legend.

Should I call her Griselda
or Miss Blanco?

Then she said, "Call me godmother.
The next day we talked for hours.

I came in loudly
And he said, Shut up.

What could be wrong with him all of a sudden?
He was talking to her on the phone.

He handed me the receiver.
I asked who it was, he said: Griselda.

The phone calls became a routine.

One to six phone calls a day.

We talked about Michael Corleone

and her other sons:
Osvaldo, Ubert, El Negro, aka Dixon.

I knew her for five or six months

when she called me with the proposal for
a meeting with Michael Corleone,

her apple of her eye.

He was only twelve at the time.
I rang the doorbell

And he came to open it himself.
He looked very much like his mother.

He was mature for his age.
He spoke like an 18- or 20-year-old.

I became his surrogate father.

Cut it out, C.

Michael Corleone was fascinated
with Oakland, so I took him up on it.

He was staying with me. The godmother
thought it was cool that I was hanging out with him.

That way
I scored a lot of points.

The first year we spent as many
thousand hours on the phone with each other.

Something unites us.
It is not a coincidence.

It is predestined.

She felt at ease
and I honored her.

I enjoyed her confidence. She said:
I have nothing to hide from you.

You can ask me anything
anything you want to know.

Griselda was born on Feb. 1 5, 1943
born in Cartagena, Colombia,

When she was 3, she moved with d'r mother,
Anna Lucia Restripo, to Medellín.

They lived there almost in a kind of tent,

among the poorest of the poor.

Without plumbing,
running water or electricity.

ln the mountains
people did not conform to the law.

Many South American countries
are used to violence.

You have to go into the past
of Colombia,

To the time of the Violencia
in Colombia,

40 years of slaughter.

The godmother saw corpses every day,
even as a child.

The Colombian drug traffickers
were children at the time

and watched their parents and
family were murdered before their eyes.

Together with other children, they dug
pits to bury the bodies.

The children had nothing else to do.
It was a pastime.

That's obviously not good for children.
- They had access to weapons.

lnstead of dying,
they killed to have something to eat.

They drummed up other children
to join them.

Griselda was eleven at the time.

They kidnapped a 10-year-old boy,

who lived in the plains
among the more affluent citizens

and took him away in hopes of
ransom for him,

but the parents refused to give money.

Griselda got a gun
and had to shoot the lad.

So at eleven, the godmother shot
forcibly shot a child to death.

That's the first murder
she committed when she was 11.

The godmother's mother
was a drinking addict.

They lived at odds.
Griselda was spanked by her mother.

One day she had had enough of
being beaten

and decided to defend himself.

That evening it rained cats and dogs.

Anna hit her with her fists.

She pulled her by her hair
To slap her with the other hand.

Griselda hissed and screamed,
but Anna was stronger than her.

Griselda fell to the ground
and Anna began to kick her.

Griselda scrambled to her feet anyway
and ran to the door,

Her face swollen and bloodied.

Anna barely managed to grab her T-shirt
as Griselda walked away,

causing the T-shirt to rip. There
she was walking, in the buff.

She still had only pants on.

She walked on in the rain,
past the cows and pigs,

to the valley of Medellín.

When she had run away from home,
from her fourteenth to her twentieth,

she had to prostitute herself.

Then she got to know Trujillo.
- The father of her three oldest sons:

Dixon, Ubert and Osvaldo.

After Carlos' death, Griselda met
met one Alberto Bravo.

Alberto would have been her lover.

He introduced her
into drug smuggling.

They became a bunch of dealers,
like many others.

Alberto then proposed
their American dream come true.

Then Griselda,
the three children and Alberto

moved to Queens, New York.

Griselda set herself the goal of the U.S.

ln a few months
Alberto and Griselda became millionaires.

Griselda saw the American market
as a testing ground.

There was a lot of competition
in the early 1970s.

The government thinks

ln 1972, Griselda claimed control
over drug smuggling,

not only of five mafia clans,
who operated at the highest level,

but also from the independent dealers
in Queens and other neighborhoods.

She sold every three weeks

She started with $26,000 in savings

and a year later they were making weekly
ten million dollars in profit.

It was clear that she was a key figure
was in drug smuggling and distribution.

ln 1975, after spending three years
had been selling drugs in Queens,

a federal jury found
that there was sufficient evidence

To sue her.

A month before the Colombian ship
Gloria was to dock in New York

for the 200th edition of Op Sail,

found on board,

Alberto Bravo and Griselda Blanco
along with others, were

accused of conspiracy
for the purpose of drug smuggling.

accused in the U.S.

Throughout the investigation
she had not made a single appearance,

mysterious.

When they wanted to arrest them,
they didn't know where they were.

She bolted.

I think raids forced them
to flee south.

She shifted her activities
to Miami.

She shifted her attention to Miami.

She had the means to disappear
and escape arrest.

Her fortune was estimated
at $500 million.

After her move to Miami
tripled her fortune.

There they started
start smuggling.

assassin of Blanco

ln Miami, she became a billionaire.

ln Miami, she soon had a network
of some 1,500 dealers.

Every week she paid
millions in wages.

that no one had shown her.

ln Miami you had
many independent dealers,

Cubans, other Colombians,

That no one could stand up to her.

She owned a penthouse
at Biscayne Bay,

an estate near Miami Beach,

large European cars,
Rolls-Royces with folding roofs.

She organized
matchless parties and celebrations.

With her drug money.

Big names in the business,
top smugglers.

Pablo Escobar and Carlos Lehder were
frequent guests of the godmother.

There were scantily clad girls walking around,
sometimes completely naked,

To serve the guests.

ln her mansion near Miami Beach

stood a bronze bust
of her with her typical grin

and all those drug lords
who came to see her,

rubbed it once in the hope
that it would bring them happiness.

They desired the same
as what the godmother had.

Even Pablo Escobar did that
when he came to visit.

Pablo Escobar.

Pablo Escobar was her protégé.

ln the beginning, he stole cars
in Colombia.

It is Griselda who launched Escobar

He remained faithful to her for a long time.

She really has a business instinct

And won't be fooled.
A dirty trick she puts you paid.

They called her "La Madrina.

It wasn't until
when I had arrived in Florida

That her violent nature, that of
a black widow, became clear to me.

Her relationship with Alberto Bravo
got worse

When Alberto left for Colombia
for a long stay.

Alberto didn't even answer the phone
when the godmother called.

Something was brewing.

ln a last-ditch effort
to save their marriage

she wanted to conclude a financial agreement
conclusion.

Since she contributed the lion's share,

she thought it only fair
That she would also get the most.

The discussion was about money ,
as always with Griselda.

She hadn't heard anything more

And so traveled to Colombia
to talk to Alberto.

She took a private jet
with several bodyguards.

At the Bogota airport

she was met
by her Colombian bodyguards.

They left in limousines
to Alberto.

When they arrived at the meeting place
arrived,

Alberto stood there with his bodyguards.

She got out and headed toward Alberto.

He didn't even greet her.

She said to him:
We need to talk about our marriage.

Alberto said: That godmother history
is rising to your head.

An invective...

The bodyguards looked at each other,
ready to draw their weapons.

Griselda, in her rage, pulled
her gun from her boot.

At that same moment, Alberto
pulled out his uzi and they fired.

Alberto was hit in the head

and died before he touched the ground.

Griselda was badly injured, her helpers
took her to the hospital.

She almost died.

A few days later, she awoke
from her morphine anesthesia.

There was a bodyguard in her room.
She asked how Alberto was doing.

When he replied that he was dead,

she smiled briefly and then sank back
away into her stupor.

Alberto Bravo
was already her second husband to die

And soon a new myth was created
about Griselda.

She was compared to a spider.

People called her the black widow.

Every friendship or love ends
with the death of the person in question.

After the deed, she devours d'r partner.

That was her reputation.

Everyone suffered from the violence.

The record years for homicide
in Dade County

were '80, '81 and '82.

There is a correlation between
the increase in the number of murders

and her presence.

The Miami region has the highest
number of murders per capita,

So many murders that Florida
is nicknamed "Dodge City.

65 murders in November alone
and the trend is upward,

According to the government, all of them
victims of drug smugglers,

According to the charitable organization
of the police

Justice is no longer able to
protect the population

She advises citizens to
to arm themselves,

Police advise people to
to purchase a weapon.

Sales are alarming.

Without her, there would have been
there would have been much less violence.

There was already drug-related violence, but
then it took on unprecedented proportions.

The first innocent victims
of drug violence fell in '79

during a shooting
at a shopping mall,

One of them was an enemy of Blanco,

There was that shooting
at the mall,

Miguel Peres with his machine gun
on the street,

Nester Garcia in broad daylight
at a mall,

The murders of the Lorenzo family.

All killed, even the children.

Griselda paid for
or participated in 250 murders.

Most murders are
drug-related,

This Colombian was pelted down
in his car,

perhaps for drugs,

Six Colombians were found dead:
4 men and 2 women,

These murders would
drug-related,

orchestrated in South Florida.

She may have wanted to show
that she was no pushover.

I don't think as a woman
wanted to prove anything,

I think
that violence was innate to Griselda.

That stems from her past:
How she grew up.

She is violent.

They were so merciless
that they got a bad reputation.

Last Tuesday, there was a shooting.
Afterwards, we found five men,

tied up and finished.

Many refused to do business with her
for fear of ending up dead.

It was known
that she settled more than debts.

Those who bought drugs and didn't pay ,
was killed.

If she bought drugs from you
And wouldn't pay,

then you died, too.

If she didn't want to pay
and her creditor insisted,

she sent Rivi
to settle the debt.

I would never
used so much violence,

but I couldn't say
'we'll do it differently'.

I tried that,
but she liked violence.

She always got her way.

She wanted to be omnipotent,
hence her nickname.

Anyone who got in her way,
was ruthlessly eliminated.

Griselda has told me that she is
the worst bitch in history.

And now, given all that I
know about the godmother,

I think the truth is even worse.
It's an understatement.

Dario Sepulveda was the father of
her youngest son, Michael Corleone.

He admitted that he had a mistress
and wanted to divorce her.

He was planning with his Cindy
to go to Colombia.

She was very jealous.

They decided to break up in '83.

Dario spoke
About who would accompany him.

Griselda's response:
You disappear from my life, completely.

Dario asked if that was a threat.
She: No, good advice.

"Don't forget who I am.
Dario asked me to follow him.

I didn't answer.
Then Griselda asked me the same thing.

I looked at them both and said:
I'm not following either of you two,

I return to Chicago.

I've made enough money already.
I'm tired of killing.

I only want stuff when I need it.

Dario then said, "Go with me to Colombia,
you can manage my ranch there.

I said, No, I've had enough.
I want to fend for myself.

Then Griselda said, Come on.
You don't have to kill anymore,

all you have to do is give the orders.

I declined.

Then the conversation turned to Michael.

Little Michael was the apple of their eye.

They got into an argument
over who would keep Michael.

He said:
You don't have time to raise him.

She replied, A stepmother?
No way, I'm keeping him with me.

And so on and so forth.

They both wanted Michael Corleone.

One day, Dario took Michael
with him, so to speak, to do some shopping.

He took the plane
and headed to Colombia.

Then all hell broke loose.

He had Michael Corleone,
his own son, kidnapped.

Griselda hired Colombian agents
as hired killers.

They stopped his car,
which included Michael,

and finished him off.
Griselda had paid them.

The order came from Miami.
- She had her son back.

Another husband who fell prey
To the black widow.

His friends were outraged
that he had been killed in Colombia.

Thus war broke out again.

Pablo Escobar and the cartel
turned against Griselda.

That was another heavy blow.

It suddenly seemed
that Griselda was the pariah.

Rafa also declared war on her.

head of U.S. operations
Medellín cartel

Cumbamba and all her old bodyguards.

All those who chose the other camp.

The price on her head
ran to four million.

She had to die.

She stayed in Miami, although the ground was getting
getting very hot under her feet.

In June of '84...
I hadn't been in touch for months,

Had moved to Chicago,
had a different phone number.

Then the phone rang
and I heard, "Hey, asshole.

It was her, it was her voice.

I don't know
how she got my number.

She said, I need help.
I want to win a war,

And you are the only one who can help me.

lk said, No, those days are over.

I was selling 30 pounds a week
in Chicago.

I didn't have to kill anymore.

She said, I understand that,
but I really need your help.

She was at war with Rafico
and Jaime Bravo

and Colombian hired killers
targeted her and her children.

I had obviously missed a lot
in Chicago. I didn't know anything.

So I drove down to Miami
to meet her.

Jaime Bravo, Rafico, the whole gang
had to be eliminated.

I would get $500,000
for Rafico,

100,000 for Bravo
and 50,000 for each of the others.

Jaime Bravo was
the nephew of Alberto Bravo

and a close relative
of Dario Sepulveda.

They were chasing her
And would kill her.

That much was certain.
That was his life's purpose.

They looked for her in stores,
in beauty salons...

I took care of everything:
the houses, cars, firearms,

the explosives...
I looked up my old contacts.

The first week I managed to kill three
Jaime Bravo was untraceable.

One day I bumped into Jaime Bravo.

We went to the mall
of Lauderdale

And there he just sat.

It seemed like he was waiting.
But what could he be waiting for ?

She came there very often.
He hoped to kill her there.

My wife wanted to shop.
As we were walking there, someone called out to me.

I recognized the voice
as that of Jaime Bravo.

I left my gun
in the car. Stupid of me.

I sent my wife away.

Jaime Bravo was with about six others:
Cumbamba, Totto... Heavy boys.

I was surprised
that they hadn't fired immediately.

Jaime said I was
was working for the wrong person.

She would be fatal to me.

He told me to follow them. l said
I would stay where I was standing.

He said, "There are six of us.
I saw that they were scattered.

He had a briefcase
with a submachine gun, a MAC-10.

He said, If you don't follow us,
I said, "I agree.

I've been looking for a way
to get myself out of the situation.

Two officers approached to my left.

I stopped them and told them
that I was looking for a particular store.

I pointed in their direction and Bravo thought
that I wanted to turn them in.

They made their way out.

I followed the officers
and left and went home.

I didn't understand
why they hadn't shot.

It had happened before
in shopping malls.

They wanted me alive
To hit Griselda.

Rafa offered me a million for Griselda.

I just had to deliver her
where I wanted to receive the money.

But I couldn't do that to her.

I have always been loyal to her.
I liked her.

After all those killings, it was too late
to stop the operation.

The more you kill,
the more enemies you make

and so the more often you have to kill.

fell her monthly profits

from 80 million
to less than $10 million.

She realized that she was
stood with her back against the wall.

It was time to leave Miami.

She may have moved
to California.

She was looked out for
in Orange County,

where she was located
and was eventually arrested as well.

June 1992

I know you don't expect anything from me.

Otherwise I wouldn't have
the trouble of getting to know you,

calling you, sending you pictures.

The godmother received fan mail
from all over the world,

but never
did she answer a letter.

But from the beginning she said

And that she wanted to get to know me.

I know you like me.

I can hear that in your voice
When I call you.

in what I tell

And you are always concerned for me,

always says
I have to take care of myself.

What a coincidence
that she is in San Francisco.

It moves me to take this road.

It's a road
I haven't taken in years.

He evokes memories.

I've been down this road 300 times
to look for the godmother.

When you least expect it,
I will come knocking on your door.

I have your address.

I won't call ahead, I'll
just show up on your doorstep one day.

I don't know how you'll find that,
but it's true.

When I would first
visit her in prison,

I was up at 4 a.m,
that's how excited I was.

I got dressed
and left at 7 o'clock.

Visitors were allowed in
between 8 and 1 5 hours.

It was a woman
whom I had idolized for six years

And now I would meet her.
Surreal.

The first time, I was only 22 years old.

That's the entrance I took
To visit her.

From that entrance to the prison
it is another two kilometers.

After my first visit
there was no turning back.

It was a new area,
a whole new experience.

I was ready
and at the same time I was scared.

What King Fahd is to petroleum.

She ran her operations
from prison, 24 hours a day.

ln prison she made annual
up to 50 million in profits.

That's not bad.

I was a street dealer,
I made a lot of money,

but not as much as Griselda Blanco.

I wanted to improve my own situation.

The godmother was my safe-conduct
for a better situation,

For a totally different level
of criminal enterprise.

Behind every great man
stands a strong woman.

A very strong woman.

I want you to be that woman
behind me.

I remember.

Good grief, the godmother.

She came in, beautifully coiffed,

they wore a silk jacket,
red stiletto heels,

pants and a blouse of white silk.

Her nails were painted.
She was pretty.

Everyone looked at her
and abruptly stopped talking.

Everyone followed her with his gaze
all the way to the table.

It was a surreal moment.

She looked like a queen.

We embraced each other for a long time and
she let her tongue slide into my mouth.

We stayed like that for a while.
Then we sat down.

ln the course of our telephone conversations
the past few months

she had promised
to launch me into the business,

to do everything so that my family
would live a good life.

It was agreed that she would
for me in Colombia,

but we hadn't talked about that
not yet talked at length about that.

You promised me something,
don't forget it.

I won't say it on this tape.

I asked her
whether her proposal was still valid.

She said, of course.

To start and live well ?

I said: let's start with 50 kilos
and then we'll see.

If it goes
the way I want or expect it to,

can you give me 100 kilos
in a month or two.

I just had to find someone
who wanted to buy a kilo.

You had a lot of small dealers back then,
but no big ones.

If I found an important contact
found, I would be rich.

After my first visit to FCl Dublin,
a Saturday,

the following Friday I was visited
from a Spanish speaker.

She said, "I have a package for you.
There were two crates next to her.

I went inside
with the crates,

I opened them
and there were 25 kilos in each box.

A delivery of 50 kilos
as if it were a postal package.

Three weeks later everything was sold
and I had two million dollars.

On that 2 million, I got
10% commission: $200,000.

ln Brookfield the others dealt
from hand to hand.

Packages worth ten
or twenty dollars.

You had a lot of dealers in Oakland,
but no big buyers.

I started dealing on a
street corner when I was 13 or 1 4 years old.

So I stayed out late at night
selling weed.

That does not yield much profit
and can be done unnoticed.

He saw me and stopped.
He was driving a red Corvette.

What have you been up to,
I asked him

And he replied:
It is time for you to earn real money.

Me: Fine by me,
I don't mind making money.

I wouldn't refuse
anyway.

A few days later he came back
and took me with him in his car.

I said, Nothing, dude.
I'm getting it sale-ready.

He said, See, that's the problem.
You better buy powder

and make crack yourself.

Then he came to me: here is
the powder, now we are going to make crack.

I didn't know how to start.
We had a big bag of powder.

It seemed to be sodium bicarbonate.

He showed it to me.
He cooked it and prepared it

and we packaged it
in $20 bags.

I went back to my corner
and sold everything.

They came looking for me.
I didn't understand.

I was making money at lightning speed.

He said, You get the cream.
And I: Why?

Him: This is the pure stuff,
the best coke around.

I thought
that all drugs were of equal value.

Charles gave me pure stuff, but I
didn't know where it came from.

It came from that bitch.

He said, That chick I'm screwing
Is the queen of the business.

Once I have her in my pocket,
our lives are going to change.

ex-handler of Charles Cosby

As soon as I made contact with Griselda
Blanco, I was launched.

I became the supplier for
the suppliers of the small dealers.

They swarmed around me like flies.

Some time after our meeting
the godmother put me in charge

of the five largest smuggling centers
in the country.

The region around Los Angeles, Seattle,
New York, North and South Carolina

and Virginia.

In short, a huge region
and I managed the five centers,

the core of her operation.

From a street dealer
Who sold small quantities,

I suddenly turned
into a dealer who sold kilos.

I just had to
answering phone calls.

She called him
four or five times a day.

I had to fly to those locations
to arrange deals with the distributors.

He had to fly almost every other day.

Again and again. His suitcase was always
ready, he didn't even unpack.

He was always gone.

Suppose a dealer from Ohio wanted
wanted fifty kilograms,

then we had a conference call:
the godmother, me and the dealer.

Then the latter said: I just
bought a new Mercedes in Ohio

for $40,000.

Then the godmother knew
that I needed 40 pounds in Ohio.

Then I switched on a cell
that was operating nearby.

He called if I would take care of it.

He asked, Will, I want you to do something
for me, and I did.

Then the cell
contacted a storage facility.

The drugs were passed
from one cell to another.

Then I had to
meet a key figure.

I was told to pick up the package
deliver it where 't I was asked.

Then everything was kosher.

The second cell then drove the drugs
to the dealer's people.

The couriers then traded
the drugs for money.

The money followed the same route,
from one courier to another.

Then it came back to California,
to me.

A courier then brought it from me

to the Cayman Islands, then to a
Panamanian account and to Colombia.

He wanted to explain it to me,
but I tried not to listen.

You know, I didn't want to know
about the business side,

because if you know too much
and end up going into the cell,

they're extra suspicious
because then you know everything.

So I wanted to avoid
with him.

I didn't need to know anything,
except that he was reliable.

He trusted me.
That's what counted.

A certain level of trust is needed.

When he showed me the way, he
above all, he insisted on loyalty and trust.

If there is no trust,
then you won't get anywhere.

Suppose someone
ran off with a million dollars,

Is your life worth that? Because whoever
robs the godmother, he dies.

ls a million worth a life ?

The godmother rewarded me with
a $20,000 Rolex necklace.

One of her cronies brought it to me one
one day: a gift from the godmother.

After a month, instead of $10
to $20,000 suddenly had $400,000.

After 45 days
I was worth a million dollars,

After 45 days, I was a millionaire.

My lifestyle went from that of a
street dealer, which Oakland was bursting with,

to that of a multimillionaire,
in just months.

Per month
I had about $700 to $800,000

and an annual income of 9 million.

More money than any street dealer
in Oakland had already seen.

I bought a Corvette Z1
of $65,000,

gold jewelry, diamond rings,
I just wanted those.

But I mostly bought clothes.
That's what I love.

I like to walk beautifully dressed.

Me and my gang went to the hippest
parties. We wanted to be seen,

picked up pretty girls.

The most beautiful women I had ever
seen, the best champagne. Crystal.

He took me out
in Ferraris, Bentleys...

It was the first time I really
experienced what money enables you to do.

I like to get a lot of attention
when I go somewhere, I like to stand out.

That makes me feel good.

My name had a lot of resonance
Because I had money.

They hung on his skids
because then they were safe.

You sell and verse
large quantities.

You are experiencing a piece of the American
dream, across America.

I could sew the prettiest girls
in the most beautiful cars,

Making them do anything,
because I enjoyed prestige.

We lived the good life
in true gangster style. Get it?

I became so infamous
when I worked for Griselda

That my reputation extended far beyond
extended beyond Oakland.

The land beckoned.

When you were that big, like Charles,
you didn't just get screwed over.

I was at the top
of the food chain.

ln the course of Griselda's

had never before had a black dealer
been part of her entourage.

She had Cubans among her clients,
but blacks?

We didn't have to.

The godmother's gang
Didn't count a single black member

or black partner.

There were no blacks
in the organization.

Perhaps because she was a racist,
as some claimed,

Or because Colombian and ltalian
gangs close ranks to blacks.

I don't like those bastards and
at the time I didn't like them at all.

There were many wounded egos, because
all of them hated me.

I was a dirty nigger.

They were talking about the little nigger,
who was unworthy of the godmother.

She had people who had worked for her since her heyday,
so 1 5 or 20 years working for her,

but in a short time
I became more important to her than she was.

They felt passed over
By that nigger

And also had to obey me.

The godmother heard
the criticism of her,

but she gave them hell:
Get this, you good-for-nothings,

it's none of your business
How I live my life.

If I want to sew a black person
or love, then I may.

Too bad for you then.

If you don't like it,
you can fuck off.

There was a multipurpose room
with tables everywhere.

In the back of that multipurpose hall
was a stage with a stage cloth.

Behind it was a door.

What the guard did before I
arrived was to open that door.

All we had to do ,
was sit at the far table.

Then I opened the door
behind the stage.

There we had sexual contact,
3 to 4 minutes, a quickie.

Then we sat down again.

For every fuck with me, the godmother gave
1 500 dollars to the guards,

every time I visited her, so
at least once a week, sometimes more often.

And if the room was too crowded,
she still paid $1,500.

I love you dearly, Griselda

I love you with all my heart,
I really do.

I mean that sincerely.
I've taken you deep into my heart.

Outwardly, she is an old lady,

but according to the jailers
of the prison where she was staying,

she still had that charisma,
that charisma.

I don't know how she did it,
but she did it.

Even behind bars
she was godmother.

ln fact, detainees wear
a uniform.

But the godmother
was no ordinary prisoner.

Those with money and power can get anything
get anything done from the jailers.

She put money to them
and they treated me with respect.

They knew
that I was coming to see Griselda.

We gave them stuff
and they gave it to Griselda.

They brought money for her,
jewelry, sausage, perfume....

Everything she wanted.

She was the godmother, a billionaire.

September 1992

In early 1992, the three brothers were
Blanco were released.

Their naturalization request
was rejected.

The brothers were
sent back to Colombia.

Osvaldo was 4 or 5 months
in Colombia...

I believe two of her sons were
were murdered.

They would have been better off in the cell
stayed. Then they might have been alive.

Osvaldo was the first to be killed
in Medellín.

There was a party for him
at some club.

Osvaldo was killed that night.

He was thrown down
in typical Scarface style.

Four in the morning, the phone.

The special line
For the godmother and her offspring.

It was Dixon
on the other end of the line.

He cried. He told me that his brother
Osvaldo had just been killed.

He wanted
me to inform the godmother.

My heart bled.
I considered him a brother.

I liked him a lot. We used to go
to Los Angeles together.

I was reluctant to announce this,
because I knew how close they were,

but it was my job.

At 6 o'clock that morning
the godmother called me.

I cried. She asked what was the matter.

I replied:
I have very bad news.

Osvaldo was murdered this morning
in Colombia.

The godmother thought
I was joking

and said she couldn't laugh about it.

I told them I wasn't kidding
made, that Osvaldo was really dead.

She let out a cry
From the depths of her lungs,

dropped the horn and...

After Osvaldo's death
it became difficult to buy drugs.

He was my supplier,
so after his death

I became dependent on El Negro.

Although Griselda was the boss,

El Negro was the one
who shipped the stuff.

El Negro, that was Dixon.
He never liked me.

Dixon disliked blacks.

He found it reprehensible
That his mother was sewing a black person.

For the next few weeks
no shipments came in

and every day without stuff
cost me $75,000.

When merchandise finally arrived,
it was barely 20 pounds.

I had lost 1.5 to 2 million
guaranteed profit lost.

Griselda was unable to attend the funeral
of Osvaldo could not attend,

because she was considered
was considered violent,

but she wrote a letter
which the priest read aloud:

'To the cowards
Who killed my son,

the ground will tremble beneath your feet.
You will not escape your punishment.

Everyone stood up
and began to applaud loudly.

There were shouts:
Osvaldo, Osvaldo, Osvaldo....

Pretty terrifying for the killers.

That's how the godmother
takes care of her business.

That she had her threats read to her
by a priest didn't surprise me.

A few days after the murder, we
found out who the killers were.

The trail led to Pablo Escobar.

He had ordered the murder
Osvaldo because the godmother

a few years earlier
had killed one of his partners.

He had paid young street thugs
to have Osvaldo killed.

Once their identities were known,

Dixon and a couple of males
headed to the Barrio Escobar neighborhood,

where they handed out $100,000
to each resident

who had information about the killers.

Under pressure, an offender went to confession
to a priest.

When the priest arrived,
the perpetrator shot himself in the head.

The second went into hiding.

His trail led to Barrio Escobar.

Dixon and his men
went to see him.

There lived a girl
aged 19 or 20.

She pretended
not knowing the guy in question,

but eventually they found him
under the bed.

They killed the girl
because she had lied

and took the fellow away by car.

They drove with him to Medellín,
to a farm.

There Dixon tortured him
with a hot screwdriver.

He branded him
In his face.

The torture got worse. Dixon drove
the screwdriver into his nose

And he died.

It was a way
to comfort the godmother.

That gave her some satisfaction,
but she was still left heartbroken.

A few years later, Ubert also perished.

Dixon and Ubert were both
killed in Colombia.

Murdered, thrown down.

They had to pay
for their mother's sins.

I wonder if you're lying
When you say you love me

June 1993

During my first visit
I had met another woman.

A white girl of 21
With blonde hair and blue eyes.

She was quite pretty and her name was Amber.

She came there to visit a relative
who was in jail.

She put me d'r number.

I called her
and that's how we became friends.

Later, that friendship evolved
into a relationship.

My relationship with Amber ran parallel
with that with the godmother.

A relationship without trust
cannot last.

I want to be in your arms,
not in someone else's.

I don't want to jeopardize our relationship
not for anything.

This is how I experience it.

That morning she hadn't called me.
Otherwise, she called me 6 or 7 times a day.

Then, suddenly, nothing at all.
At 9:30 a.m. I saw Michael Corleone.

He asked me
what I was up to that day.

I said I had
needed to run some errands.

He asked me
When I would be back home

and I said I'd be there around 1 4:00
I would be back.

It was a Thursday it was 1 4 pm.
I was going 50 miles an hour on 98th Avenue

When the light turned red.
I was there first.

I looked to my left
and saw a black Mustang.

In it were three young Latinos, whom
I mistook for Mexicans. And then...

I realized they weren't Mexicans
and ducked away.

I accelerated
and ran a red light.

I turned into the first street
I crossed

And the Mustang came after me.

I pulled up with my Corvette Z1

and in 5 or 6 seconds
I was driving 190 km per hour.

I prayed that no children
would cross over.

I heard shots.
My rear window shattered.

I didn't feel I was hit,
the adrenaline was coursing through my body.

I just wanted to get rid of those people.

When I had shaken them off,
I began to feel pain.

A burning pain in my arm.

Here, in my left biceps.

I pulled the car over
and called Amber.

She rushed over and took me
to the hospital.

I realized that I could have died.

I didn't understand anything,
I had no enemies.

They removed the bullet
and sent me home.

Amber stayed overnight at my place.

I told her: I don't know
how, but Griselda is aware.

I had talked to Michael Corleone.
He knew my itinerary.

Michael Corleone had clearly
been the middleman

between Griselda and the Colombians.

They were friends
of Michael Corleone.

It had now been 24 hours
since I had heard Griselda.

The Friday night at 11 p.m,
the day after the shooting,

my phone rang.

Amber and I looked at each other.
We were scared.

Amber picked up the phone
and handed it to me.

I looked at her with a look of
"Why did you record now?

I took the device and said:
Bye, godmother.

It was her private line.
I knew who it was.

She said, Do you know what fidelity means?

I replied, "Of course.

She responded:
No, for 'n year you have been cheating on me,

but even in the cell
I know what's going on.

One phone call and you're going down.

Me again: Why do you want me dead?
I didn't do anything wrong.

She: stop lying.
She's right there with you, in your bed.

I said I'd explain,
but she didn't want to hear it.

She said, Come to prison tomorrow
Or I'll send my friends.

By the way, look through the window.

I jumped out of bed and opened
opened the curtains and watched.

There was a car parked, here,
on the edge of the curb.

The godmother caught on.
I ran to my closet,

pulled out my loaded AR-180
and walked back to the window.

I saw the car drive slowly away
and disappear into the darkness.

The next day
I went to see her.

I was in pain.
I had been shot at two days before.

I didn't want to go,
but had no choice.

I went to the prison and
passed through the metal detector,

went inside the hall
and sat down.

Finally, after ten minutes,
Griselda arrived.

She had small eyes
and was clearly livid.

She approached and sat down.

She was silent,
while tears ran down her cheeks.

After several minutes of silence

she said, "You son of a bitch,
how dare you deceive me?

Who do you think you are?
I'm the godmother.

Then she grabbed me by the throat.

What a grip.
She has very strong hands.

I couldn't free myself,
but everyone was just watching.

No one tried to help,
not even the jailers.

When she was satisfied, she let go.

I said: Touch me again
and I'll knock you over.

She: Are you going to play the boss from now on?

I said, I don't want a fuss,
but don't touch me.

She: I have no more fear of you
Than of a fly.

Tell the truth
Or I'll send my boys to Brookfield

And let everyone finish.

Then I got really scared.
I knew what was going through her.

I had never seen that look before.

I told you, I'm having an affair
with a white girl, Amber.

Yes, I've had relationships.
I'm not going to lie about that.

I am a man
and I will remain a man.

So I larked about.

It is not a lack
of respect for you,

but when I long for you,
you're not there, you're here.

What should I do then?

Wait until the weekend and until you
pay the jailers $1,500 ?

I remain a man,
my urges are what they are,

But I love you.

She then said, Bullshit,
spare me your excuses.

I offer you a better life and
you thank me by screwing sluts?

Me again: Give me a chance to explain this
explain. Try to understand this.

Look at the facts.

When I promised you a million,
didn't I give it to you?

I have always
taking care of Michael Corleone.

When mother Anna needs money in Colombia
I make sure she gets it.

Surely that proves my loyalty to you.

Except for the sex with that girl
As far as sex is concerned, I'm loyal to you.

Please try to understand me.

Then the tension
and anger from her face.

She held out her arms to me,
like an olive tree.

I took her hand
and pressed a kiss to it.

Charles, please excuse me.

I didn't want
things to get so out of hand.

The shooting Thursday
was supposed to serve as a warning.

I didn't mean you any harm.

Warning?
There were twelve bullet holes in my car.

I could have been the fourth victim
of the black widow.

We laughed a lot
on my birthday.

I love you.
- Bye.

Congratulations on your ten years.
- See you soon.

Charles was reluctant to leave his family
reluctant to leave them behind.

He had several sons
and an infant daughter.

Who wants to leave that behind ?

His family adored him.
He gave them all they wanted.

You would have thought: the Huxtables.
They had the money and all.

When you deal drugs,
that's a totally different world.

I could see he was getting tired of it.
He admitted that he wanted to stop,

but their story had a flip side.

Getting out
could cost him dearly,

because she was still at the helm.

He hated
having to answer the phone.

He wrote down what he had to do
and left immediately.

November 1993

We saw Rivi for the first time
in Broward.

The DEA, with whom we were working,
had arranged a meeting with him.

He came to talk to me
about the murders in Miami.

He said I was responsible
for at least 60 murders in Miami.

At first, he was absolutely uncooperative.

I said I didn't know
what he was talking about.

He could not afford
to cooperate.

He asked me where Griselda was,
but I denied working for her.

But he admitted to knowing her
and to have worked for her.

He said he would keep me
would keep me informed.

Then we got a warrant
for him for murder.

Three days later
I was accused of three murders.

Of the murder of Johnny Castro
and that of the Lorenzos.

Shortly thereafter, his lawyer called
to make a deal.

The point was
confronting him with statements

of co-defendants
and others involved.

Soon he recognized that the file
against him weighed heavily enough.

He changed his mind
and decided to cooperate.

Thus, Rivi became a witness.

They actually made
a pact with the devil.

Rivi was perhaps
the worst of all.

They threw in with
someone who was bad through and through.

former lawyer of Griselda Blanco

Then the godmother sat

She was serving a 35-year sentence
after a conviction in New York

in 1975.

She was in prison,
but had almost served her sentence.

She was looking forward
being released in the near future.

ln September '94 came the
arrest warrant for Griselda.

The complaint was filed in Miami.

She was charged
of triple murder.

If she was convicted,
she risked the death penalty.

La Madrina,
also known as the godmother,

is suspected of

to be the commissioner
of a hundred or so murders,

Griselda Blanco, 5 1 years,
dealt and murdered with equal pleasure,

She embodies for me

History is being made.

We are going to put this woman on trial

So that some form
of justice would take place.

She would be released in a few years.

But tonight she is accused
of three murders.

The assassination of Johnny Castro.

Johnny Castro, age four,
who took a bullet for his father,

And the Lorenzo's murder.

The second murder of which Blanco was
accused dates from June '82.

Alfredo and Grizel Lorenzo
were killed at home,

while their children watched television.

These would be customers of Blanco
with outstanding debts.

Two well-reasoned cases.

You won't believe it,
but Rivi will testify against you.

Rivi risked the death penalty.

I presume he wanted to save his life
save and avoid the death penalty

By testifying against her.

The godmother refused to believe it.
She said, Shave off.

I don't believe you.
Rivi would never betray me.

Rivi and she had been together
been in the trenches,

wars fought together.

She had entrusted him with her life
and secrets.

She loved Rivi
like her own sons.

I suppose he had no choice,
but it's sad to see

When someone testifies against friends.

A few days later
I was visiting the godmother.

She had a look I had never
seen. She wore no makeup,

her hair was messed up,
she was overcome with emotion.

They said:
You risk the death penalty in Florida.

I understand she was upset.

After the death of Osvaldo
and the betrayal of Rivi

her world seemed to collapse.

She collapsed completely.

She said, I have to get out of here.
I have nothing more to give.

I replied: We'll take care of that
in Florida, with Rivi.

Just don't worry too much.

I have to. Rivi knows enough to get me
10 times to get me sentenced to death.

I am guilty
until proven innocent.

I said, "You're a billionaire.
Even if we have to spend 30 million,

we'll get you off.

Then she said, "I know a way
to get out of here.

lk: We'll get Rivi.
No one will believe that piece of crap.

She: I'm not talking about the process,
Rivi can kiss my ass.

I have another idea.
You have to help me.

I said, Anything you want.
I owe that to you.

She took a bill out of her bra
and put it to me.

Call El Negro
and get him the information.

I asked, "What is that?
She: Dixon will understand.

I said, I want to know,
especially if I'm involved.

We're going to tackle Kennedy.

I asked: Who is Kennedy?
And she: The president's son.

We're going to kidnap JFK in New York.
Five million will go to the kidnappers.

Holding him hostage against her release.

As soon as Griselda was in Colombia,
they were allowed to release Kennedy.

It gave me chills.

I did not want to participate
in that crime.

The following week
I flew to New York

with $100,000 in my suitcase
To meet Griselda's niece

and the four Colombian kidnappers.

I gave her money and she
bought a van and clothes,

So that they could move around.

The following day
I went to California.

The plan went into effect.

Almost the kidnapping had succeeded.

They had formed two groups.

The ones played a couple, the others
drove around with the van.

The plan was to grab Kennedy
and push him into the van.

Almost succeeded.

After a week of observation
the couple stood in front of his apartment building

when Kennedy came out
with his dog.

The dog began sniffing the woman.
He was close to being caught,

but just then a police car drove
drove by, causing the plan to fail.

I realized I was risking life

for something I
wanted nothing to do with.

A Kennedy,
the American royal family.

I was involved
in the Kennedy kidnapping.

I risked
a life sentence.

I had to distance myself
from the godmother and the kidnappers.

July 1996

On my last visit, she said:
Appointment in Colombia, Charles.

She was convinced
that her plan would work.

I said, I love and appreciate
all that you have done for me.

She said she loved me.
I responded, "I love you even more.

We embraced, kissed each other
and both cried.

When I got outside, I felt empty.

In the evening she called again,
as always.

How are you doing?
- I'm doing well,

How is Michael doing?
- He's in Colombia,

I have something for Michael,

Phone calls in prison
are always recorded.

Is the JFK plan still going forward ?

That's good,
I'm glad to hear it,

But be careful,
- What do you mean, be careful?

Think carefully about what you are doing,

I love you,
- Do you?

A little more every day
And well forever,

Glad to hear that,

I love you very much
and will always love you, okay?

Thick kisses,
- Okay, see you soon,

That's the last time
I heard her voice.

When they heard that we were talking about
the kidnapping of JFK junior,

the prison administration
immediately notified the FBl

and the FBl informed the Kennedys.

Kennedy did not know
who Griselda Blanco was.

They explained just how infamous she was

and that she had the means
to have him kidnapped.

Kennedy would have remained cool,
according to the agents.

The next day
the FBl raided my house.

The investigators then said:
If Griselda had kidnapped Kennedy,

would the government and the FBl
have released her.

Kennedy's life was more important
than her prison sentence.

But once he was free, she would
nowhere would have been safe.

We would have done anything
to clone her.

When they came to arrest him,
we got hot.

One after another got scared,
trade fell silent.

Contacts were disconnected,
numbers changed.

We didn't know the exact details
with that arrest.

We thought of a federal indictment,
and that he was facing life in prison.

We formed a team.
We were afraid of a domino effect.

September 1997

One Saturday
I went to the post office

and then I found a subpoena
from the court in Florida

for the Florida v. Blanco trial.
lk fell backwards.

I didn't expect that.
I didn't want to go to Miami.

That was hostile territory,
the domain of the godmother.

She still had many faithful there.
I was afraid.

I was on parole at the time after a
conviction for illegal possession of firearms.

So I had no choice.

If I refused, I would be arrested
for contempt

and be held
until I would testify.

That's when I met Sgt. Al Singleton
met him and shook his hand.

He said, I'm just doing my job.
I know you don't want to be here,

but I want to ask a few questions
to bring this matter to a close.

I stayed in a suite.

The brigadier and his aides were staying
in the adjoining suite.

The day after my arrival
I did not wake up spontaneously.

That was strange, because for 1 5 or 20 years
I always got up early.

I experienced a kind of peace
that I hadn't felt in years.

Then I said to myself:
I testify and turn a page.

From now on, this is a thing of the past.

Shortly before I
was to make my statement,

my mother's phone rang.

It was
one of the godmother's males:

Where is Charles staying in Miami?
I need to talk to him urgently.

The godmother offers him a million
if he remains vague in his explanation.

I think they mainly
wanted to locate me in Miami

To silence me. If I
died, I would not be able to testify.

The brigadier and his officers took me
to the prosecutor.

At the beginning of my testimony
were the attorney, Al Singleton

and Griselda's attorney present.

They asked my name, date of birth
and national register number.

I refused to give that
because then they could locate me.

Master Diamond replied that it was also
useful for other things,

To trace my past.

As a result, Nathaniel Diamond and I got into
got into a heated discussion.

I was really very nervous.

The godmother is dangerous.
If I gave that info,

they would have found me in no time
found and killed me.

To throw the lawyer off guard
I asked if I could go to the bathroom.

I stayed there for a few minutes
to find my self-confidence again.

When I got outside, I bumped into a
secretary, a beautiful young woman.

She smiled
and handed me a piece of paper.

It read:
Charles, you look nice.

Can I come see you at your hotel ?

I winked at her
to say, You know where to find me.

Then she left,
shaking her ass.

With a smile
I went back into the office.

I wasn't worried
for the secretary's visit.

I didn't do anything wrong.
Sex is legal.

It was a slut who I was
liked and whom I would screw.

I was excited.
It was a handsome woman.

I let her in
and we started kissing.

We were both getting excited.
Then she dropped d'r black coat.

She was wearing nothing
but a pair of lace panties with no crotch

And a lace bra.
Not exactly a secretary outfit.

She said she had always
fantasized about having sex with a black person.

We swore to keep it a secret.
No one ever knew.

It was a conflict of interest
and that would have messed things up.

six months later

The sergeant informed me
that the case was dragging on.

The attorney's office
messed up everything.

Apparently something had happened internally,

which I find inconceivable.

But still it happened.

Do you remember the secretary
of the prosecutor?

I replied, "Yes, vaguely.

He said:
Because of her, the business has gone to sharks.

In fact, she had had phone sex
with Rivi, the star witness.

Ayala had started some
with an assistant attorney.

He gave her gifts, inappropriate
gifts, had phone sex with her.

As a result, she and
two other secretaries fired.

The attorney had to withdraw.

Singleton was livid.
From prison, Rivi

called the secretary
and made friends with her,

which did not belong
with the job of secretary.

They began a telephone sex relationship.

Then she retreated to her desk
and had phone sex with Rivi,

In which she masturbated.

Another had even
baked cake for him

which her husband, a police officer,
was going to personally drop off in his cell.

He was unaware
That his wife was in love with a man

with 40 murders on his record.

That was the phone sex scandal
at the attorney's office.

They decided
That Rivi was so badly compromised

by this scandal

That he could no longer
could appear as a witness.

The case stood or fell
with Rivi's testimony.

If he was compromised

In terms of his credibility,
his testimony was worth nothing.

The state then
negotiated with the godmother.

She would plead guilty to manslaughter
and would receive a sentence of 16 years.

Thus, she avoided
a possible death sentence in Florida

and got off with twenty years
for three murders.

Given the length of her pre-trial detention

she still had to serve some 60 months
or 5 years to serve.

Rivi made the case
and then cracked it.

Perhaps intentionally.

There was no conspiracy
to get Griselda released,

it was a mess with the prosecutor.

I never had a frank
discussed it with him.

How could he do something so stupid
And ruin a whole business,

a well-founded
court file ?

I talked to Al about it
and he was sick of it.

They had a solid case
against the godmother.

It's frustrating. I thought they
could have prosecuted her anyway.

This situation
could have been avoided.

Sometimes one chooses the easiest.
That's what happened here.

Without Rivi
and those phone sex states

Griselda would certainly have received a life sentence
and possibly the death penalty.

It is extraordinarily bizarre. Really.

Upon my return
I felt as if reborn.

Griselda was no more
than an old memory.

I hope in the next few years
to start something else.

For the first time in six or seven years
I was free,

even though there was a reward
of a million on my head.

I was freer than ever,
freed from Griselda's influence.

I was no longer awakened in the middle of the night
awakened by Griselda Blanco

With orders.
I had always dreamed of that.

I've been selling drugs since I was sixteen.

I wanted to be a millionaire
and I have been one several times.

I'm talking about 1 5 to 20 million dollars
that I had at my disposal that way.

But I was unhappy.

The godmother had me in her power.

I was her puppet,
that's how I felt.

For the first time I feel
That I exist.

I don't have to constantly
looking over my shoulder.

I can be productive, I am free.

I am really impatient.

I left the environment
without looking back.

Charles was at the top. Just as
a champion at heavyweight

Who is at the top,
is invincible

and then quit,

he will never know
what he could have accomplished,

How far he would get.

We said: You're at the top,
do you really want to give up everything?

That was very tough for us,

Because we all depended on him.

We formed a team,
had made enemies.

Who were we supposed to turn to now?
The enemy?

What are they going to do with us?
What is to become of us ?

Of course we were in the pit.
Who wouldn't be in the pit?

He was the man who nurtured us.
- I made wrong choices.

Those I regret now, but back then
I didn't realize how wrong I was.

If I could start over,
I would study.

I thought Charles was going to
end up in jail or killed.

This is how things are done differently.

We see all our friends
end up in jail or killed.

What do you expect?

I lead a simple existence.

I do the same things
as any other man.

I raise my children,
make up for lost time.

When he turned his life around
And left the environment

and he turned out fine,
I started weighing in.

I said to myself:
I can get out too.

I have enough to quit.

It might be time
I should do something else.

There was nothing left to win.

Even if you make a lot of money,
in the end none of it will remain.

There is more than just money.
It wasn't fun anymore.

I had had enough.

I was always close
with Charles and his family.

When his daughter became an adult,
I married her.

We have two beautiful children
and are happy.

Griselda Blanco
destroyed many lives.

She was the first drug smuggler
in the United States,

who became a millionaire,

who became a billionaire.

She may have

No smuggler in the
history of organized crime

ever did better.

Pablo Escobar, Rodriguez Gotcha,
they're both dead.

Griselda was the only one who managed to escape.

I will remain vigilant
as long as Griselda Blanco is alive.

The threat will always remain.

I was very intimate with Griselda
and she felt betrayed.

I fear more for my children
than for myself.

It's been nice. When my hour
has come, I will not resist.

If they are suddenly here at my door,
I will not flee.

No matter how much success I have had,

this has always been my neighborhood
and so it still is now.

Brookfield Village.

Hello. Luther, how are you?

What's up, buddy?

The president mocks us
and Congress has no balls.

Take care, dude.
- You too.

I'm waiting for Charles Cosby.
He grew up here.

He is a living legend.

He always made sure
that we had food to eat.

Here we have never known drought.

My buddies were always good folks.

We don't waste our time
with gangsters and other scum.

I'm protecting my buddy. That's all.
You understand me?

This is a great gentleman. Whoever
touches a hair, dies. Do you understand me?

Brookfield is not to be trifled with.

Brookfield for life.

Are you all right, Tanya?

Super.

These are my measurements.
I made them.

Young people admire me because I am the top

I had money, nice cars,
beautiful girls.

He was the first to succeed in doing so
and with the most success.

I got out alive and free.

Usually guys like him ended up
in jail or dead.

But he is alive, doing his story
and lives peacefully with his family.

I want to be like that, too.
- No black man imitates me anymore.

One, my ma was religious.

Two, I got out
out at the right time.

And three, I've been darn
very lucky.

Griselda Blanco was released
on June 6, 2004

and returned to Colombia
on June 7, 2004.

Her most recent photo was taken at the
Bogota airport on May 13, 2007.