Griselda Blanco also called “The Black widow or The Godmother” was a female drug trafficker who was best known for Narco-trafficking (Tikkanen, 2020). She grew up in Colombia and has been trafficking drugs from her home country to Miami, New York, as well as the state of California. Blanco died at the age of 69 from gunshots.
Crimes Committed
Drug trafficking-Blanco was a cocaine drug dealer who transported it between Colombia and some parts of the United States
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Murder- the estimated number of people killed by Blanco is up to 2,000. Most of her killings were done towards men.
Abduction-she kidnapped a two-year-old boy in exchange for ransom from his parents.
Pickpocketing- as young as below 13 years Blanco started pickpocketing.
Forgery- she faked her passport as well as her second husband’s Alberto Bravo to immigrate to United States ( US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit - 861 F.2d 773, (2d Cir. 1988) .
Crime Elements
Criminal intent- Blanco intentionally murdered by either hiring hitmen or doing it by herself.
Conduct- The cocaine drug trafficking occurred and it was one of Blanco’s major sources of income. She also abducted a boy and shot him after failing to get ransom from his parents.
Concurrence- the act of faking the passports occurred due to the need to go to the states to carry on with the cocaine business which was thriving better there (Rosen & Kassab, 2019).
Causation- Blanco involved herself in pickpocketing at a young age due to poverty and the need for money.
Possible Defenses
Pleading guilty- to avoid long-term imprisonment which was eventually reduced to 10 years.
Duress- she claims to have killed her client due to the failure to pay money for transporting drugs.
Contract killing- she hired hitmen to kill people which made her not to be easily traced by the police and she believed that way she would not have people’s blood on her hands.
References
Rosen, J. & Kassab, H. (2019). History of Crime and Violence. In Drugs, Gangs, and Violence, (pp. 15-35). Palgrave Mcmillan, Cham.
Tikkanen, A. (2020). Colombian Cocaine Trafficker. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Griselda-Blanco
US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit - 861 F.2d 773 (2d Cir. 1988). United States of America, Appellee, v. Griselda Blanco, Defendant-appellant, 861 F.2d 773 (2d Cir. 1988). Retrieved from https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/861/773/138342/
