Scams, Money, & Murder

Episode: Partners in Crime: Griselda Blanco & Carlos Trujillo

Original Air Date: November 27, 2025

Hosts: Vanessa Richardson & Carter Roy

Episode Overview

This episode plunges into the violent, lucrative, and infamous world of the transnational drug trade, centering on the life of Griselda Blanco, one of history's most powerful and ruthless cartel leaders, and her early partner, Carlos Trujillo. Hosts Vanessa Richardson and Carter Roy trace her rise and fall, highlighting the innovative criminal strategies she helped create, her string of deadly betrayals, and the immense human cost of her ambition. The episode then transitions to the 2009 massacre at a Mexican drug rehab clinic, using these two stories to illuminate how the relentless drive for profit in the drug world encourages ever-escalating brutality.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Violent End of Griselda Blanco (04:00–05:35)

• Her Last Day: On Sept 3, 2012, Griselda was killed in a motorcycle drive-by shooting in Medellin, Colombia, after running a mundane errand for a family barbecue.
  • "It was an ironic end for a woman who had once been called the Black Widow, the godmother of cocaine, and la dama de la Mafia." — Vanessa ([04:52])
  • Notably, she was murdered using a technique she herself pioneered.
• The Motif of Ironic Fate: The hosts highlight how the very methods Griselda made infamous ultimately led to her own death.

2. Griselda's Tumultuous Childhood (05:35–08:00)

• Early Exposure to Violence: Griselda grew up in Medellin amid civil war and frequent bloodshed, with a chaotic and abusive home life.
  • "There were often bodies in the streets and sometimes she and her friends would dig holes to bury them for fun." — Vanessa ([06:23])
• First Murder: At age 11, she committed her first alleged killing during a failed ransom plot, setting the pattern for lifelong violence.
  • "She put the barrel of the gun up to the young boy’s head and pulled the trigger. This was the first of many, many murders she'd be involved in throughout her life." — Vanessa ([07:37])

3. Entering the Drug Trade: The Trujillo Partnership (08:00–10:25)

• Carlos Trujillo: Griselda’s first husband and early criminal partner, specialized in forging documents and smuggling people—a gateway to narcotics trafficking.
• Innovation in Smuggling: Griselda created a network of female mules and employed hidden pockets in lingerie, exponentially increasing the success of cocaine smuggling into the US.
  • "They developed a system to start moving huge quantities of the drug into America ... She recruited a small army of female drug mules in Colombia … producing lingerie lined with hidden pockets." — Vanessa ([09:45])
• Expansion & New Alliances: After Carlos’ ambiguous exit (possibly at Griselda’s hands), she remarries Alberto Bravo, escalating their operations exponentially.

4. Rise of the Godmother (10:25–17:04)

• Consolidating Power: Griselda’s ingenuity and savagery make her one of the largest cocaine importers in the US by the mid-1970s.
• Paranoia & Violence: Addiction, suspicion, and internal conflict peak; she kills Alberto Bravo in a firefight, taking sole control of the cartel.
  • "She pulled out a gun and shot Alberto in the head, sparking a brief but deadly shootout... Griselda was wounded and six bodyguards laid dead... along with Alberto." — Vanessa ([12:10])
• Move to Miami: After a stint in hiding, Griselda relocates to Miami, making the city America’s cocaine capital. She accumulates massive wealth and infamy, becoming synonymous with cartel violence.
  • "By some estimates, her expansion into Miami made her a billionaire." — Vanessa ([15:00])
• Escalating Warfare: Griselda’s reign triggers the Miami “cocaine wars,” with over 1,500 murders in three years.
  • "So many dealers and enforcers were getting killed that Miami’s morgue ran out of space. The city had to rent a refrigerated truck to store all the extra bodies." — Vanessa ([15:55])
• Personal Savagery: Griselda earns the nickname “Black Widow” after ordering the killing of her husband Dario Seulveda, father of her youngest son.
  • "Shortly after Dario and Michael resettled in Medellin … the so-called police … gunned him down in front of his son. As it turns out, these were assassins dressed in fake uniforms. They'd been sent by Griselda." — Vanessa ([17:00])

5. Downfall and Life Behind Bars (19:30–31:30)

• Arrest & Conviction: Hiding in California, Griselda is arrested in 1985 and finally convicted on drug charges.
  • "On February 17, 1985, 42-year-old Griselda Blanco answered the door of her suburban home to find a gaggle of DEA agents waiting for her." — Vanessa ([19:55])
• Continued Influence: Despite imprisonment, she lives luxuriously and runs operations through young Oakland dealer Charles Cosby, whom she seduces and grooms as her lover and proxy.
  • "Her visitors noticed that while the other prisoners all wore prison jumpsuits, Griselda was dressed in silk and red pumps with plenty of makeup." — Vanessa ([24:16])
  • "Within a month, at the age of just 18 years old, Charles Cosby had earned half a million dollars selling Griselda’s cocaine." — Vanessa ([27:18])
• Foiled Prosecution: An attempted prosecution for several Miami murders collapses after key witnesses, including hitman Jorge Riverito Ayala, admit to sexual relationships with prosecution staff—fatally compromising the case.
  • "The fact that members of the prosecution were having sex with both of the key witnesses destroyed the government's case." — Vanessa ([31:00])
• Release and Quiet Years: Griselda is eventually released in 2004 and deported to Colombia, where she lives in relative peace—and apparent retirement—until her death in 2012.

6. Cartel Violence in Mexico: The La Aliviani Massacre (37:44–49:40)

• A Shift in Victims: Explores a mass shooting at a rehab clinic in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on September 3, 2009, where 18 patients are murdered by cartel gunmen.
  • "As the evening meeting got underway, a group of masked gunmen armed with AK-47s descended on the clinic … They lined them all up against a wall. Then they opened fire and left just as quickly as they'd arrived." — Vanessa ([38:25])
• Why Target Clinics?: Cartels began infiltrating and exploiting rehab centers for recruitment; rivals attacked clinics to kill enemy operatives and disrupt pipelines.
  • "At the end of a cartel-run rehab course, addicts would get the hard sell... Anyone who said no would be killed on the spot." — Vanessa ([44:10])
• Arrest & Aftermath: The mastermind of the attack, José Antonio "El Diego" Acosta Hernández, is eventually captured and confesses to ordering over 1,500 murders.
• Context of Unending Violence: The hosts underline how government crackdowns only fragmented cartels and inflamed violence.
  • "Looking back at this week in crime history, we can see that the drug trade is a cutthroat business. With so much money at stake, the only way to get ahead … is to be more brutal than everybody else." — Vanessa ([49:20])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Trust is a trap and betrayal is often fatal.” — Carter Roy ([01:01])
• “If money didn’t make the world go round, could all this have been avoided?” — Carter Roy ([01:32])
• “Griselda Blanco had climbed from the lowest rungs of society to the top. She’d become rich, famous, feared and respected. She lived much longer and more comfortably than many of her fellow dealers and kingpins. And she left behind an enduring legacy.” — Vanessa ([36:28])
• “For Griselda Blanco, that meant killing anybody who stood in her way. For Mexico’s cartel leaders, it meant meeting their enemies wherever they were, even a rehab clinic. As we saw today, that kind of ruthless pursuit... usually leads to one of two [ends]: a drive-by assassination in the middle of the street, or a long time in a small cement cell.” — Vanessa ([49:35])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening discussion, intro to cartel theme: 00:54–03:56
• Griselda’s murder & background: 03:56–08:00
• Childhood, early crimes, Carlos Trujillo: 08:00–10:25
• Rise & violence, Godmother era: 10:25–17:04
• Miami “Cocaine Wars,” “Black Widow” nickname: 15:00–17:00
• Arrest, prison, Charles Cosby: 19:30–27:30
• Foiled prosecutions, release, post-prison life: 31:00–36:00
• Massacre at La Aliviani Clinic: 37:44–44:10
• Cartel expansion, government response, lasting violence: 44:10–49:00
• Reflections and episode close: 49:00–end

Conclusion & Takeaways

The episode presents the story of Griselda Blanco as both a cautionary tale and a case study in how greed, violence, and ingenuity can remake entire cities and criminal industries—but never entirely evade justice or retribution. The transition to the Juarez clinic massacre broadens the scope, demonstrating how the tactics and amorality instilled by early cartel pioneers have rippled into new generations and nations, perpetuating cycles of violence. Ultimately, the podcast offers an unflinching look at the lengths to which criminal enterprises—and those who run them—will go to safeguard their own power and profits, and how frequently those driven by greed become victims of the very brutality they unleash.

Hosts: Vanessa Richardson & Carter Roy
Produced by: Crime House / PAVE Studios

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