Sofía Vergara takes on the role of drug trafficker Griselda Blanco

Sofia Vergara will star in “Griselda”, a new Netflix production that recreates the life of Colombian businesswoman and drug trafficker Griselda Blanco, who formed one of the most notable cartels in Latin American history. The criminal and businesswoman was known as the Black Widow.

"Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless yet ingenious tactics allowed her to rule a billion-dollar-a-year empire before many of the most notorious capos we know so well," Vergara said. "We are thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Eric Newman (producer), Andres Baiz (director) and Netflix to help us bring this story of her life to the screen," the actress added.

There had been initial speculation regarding the length of the miniseries: it was going to be six 50-minute episodes as a sequel to Netflix hit series “Narcos”. But this is a standalone story with no connection to “Narcos”. Vergara and her business partner Luis Balaguer worked on the project for eight years, under their Latin World Entertainment brand, before pitching it to Netflix.

Born on Feb. 15, 1943,  Griselda Blanco Restrepo was was known as the “Godmother of Cocaine” and the “Queen of Drug Trafficking”. She was the leader of the Medellín cartel, a pioneer in drug trafficking and, in particular, cocaine. She became one of the richest and most dangerous women in the world and the first multibillionaire female criminal in history, according to Infobae.

The “Queen of Drug Trafficking” operated in Miami from the 1980s until the early 2000s. She had a mansion in Miami Beach, diamonds that belonged to Eva Perón and a billion-dollar fortune. It is estimated that she was responsible for up to 200 murders as part of her multinational criminal activity between Colombia and the United States.

Blanco led a low-profile life, served a 20-year sentence and was deported from the United States in 2004. On Sept. 3, 2012, she was killed by a hitman in a butcher shop in Medellín. The killer got off his motorcycle and shot her twice -- once in the head and once in the shoulder -- returned slowly to his motorcycle and left.

“The Queen of Cocaine” was already a drug trafficker when Pablo Escobar entered the drug business. Blanco was already ruling the industry when Escobar became its biggest capo.

Blanco has already been featured in several documentaries and films: “Cocaine Cowboys” (2006) and “Cocaine Cowboys 2” (2008); also in Cocaine Godmother, a biographical TV movie that premiered in 2018 on Lifetime, with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the lead role. There is even talk of an upcoming movie, “La Madrina”, which would star Jennifer Lopez, reported Infobae.

"Griselda" will air on Netflix in either late 2022 or early 2023.