Netflix’s Griselda explores the rise to power of Miami crime boss Griselda Blanco and those like the Marielitos who helped her keep it. A significant focus of the series is the unique struggle the Godmother faced trying to gain the respect of her fellows, and it took acts of extraordinary violence for them to take notice. In the Netflix series and real life, Griselda employed the Marielitos, refugees from Cuba, as soldiers. However, Griselda did little to explain who these men were or what happened to them after the Godmother of cocaine’s empire came tumbling down.
In Griselda season 1, episode 4, “Middle Management,” Griselda started an all-out war with the Ochoa brothers and their subordinate, Rafa Salazar. However, she couldn’t fight that war with her few reliable hitmen alone. The other Miami traffickers weren’t willing to stand by her against the Ochoa’s Medellin Cartel, and her only ally, Amilcar, was caught and arrested just after she had earned his friendship. So, Sofía Vergara’s character in Griselda got the clever idea to recruit the Marielitos to stand by her—but who were these men, and where did they come from?
Griselda Blanco Recruited Cuban Refugees After The Mariel Boatlift
Griselda appealed to the Marielitos’ status as outsiders to get them on her side.
The men that Griselda recruited for her army in Griselda episode 4 were Marielitos, men who came to the United States from Cuba during the Mariel boatlift crisis of 1980. These refugees were permitted by both the Cuban and United States governments to board boats from Mariel Harbor and cross over to Miami, but when the Marielitos arrived in the hundreds of thousands, things quickly got out of hand. A common belief developed that the Marielitos were predominantly Cuban criminals, which meant prejudice against these immigrants was high.
It’s precisely this that the Godmother of Cocaine took advantage of in Griselda. As a woman, she knew that the world didn’t take her seriously, and she used this fact to appeal to the Marielitos. She presented herself as one of them—someone with few opportunities who needed to take what she wanted rather than ask. In the Netflix series, Griselda’s speech appealed to the Marielitos, and hundreds of men agreed to serve as the queenpin’s guards, hitmen, and general soldiers in the Miami drug wars. It meant a change in the tides for Griselda’s empire.
Griselda Timeline: How Long The Godmother’s Drug Empire Lasted In Miami
Netflix’s Griselda outlines the legendary Godmother of Cocaine’s growing empire through the 1970s and 1980s, leading to her ultimate downfall in 1985.
How The Marielitos Fell Into Gang Activity & Violent Crimes
Griselda was interested in the Marielitos because they had few other options for employment in Miami or the United States as a whole. These refugees had gained a reputation as being criminals and gang members, and many of them had indeed been imprisoned in Cuba before coming to the United States (criminals were given passes to emigrate from Cuba leading up to 1980). However, an estimated 125,000 Marielitos came to the U.S. from the Mariel harbor, and most were simply those who no longer wanted to live under Fidel Castro’s rule.
Though the word “Marielitos” initially described anyone—men, women, and children—who departed the Mariel Harbor during this crisis, the word is now typically used for Cuban gangsters in the United States. Ultimately, this comes from the fact that so many were driven to crime after being detained, starved, and abused after arriving in the U.S ((via the U.S. Department of Justice). This is reflected in Griselda’s use of these refugees in the years following the Mariel boatlift. She offered them the opportunity for money, community, and power, and that’s what the Godmother’s empire gave them in Gresleda.
How Accurate Are The Marielitos Depicted In Griselda
Netflix’s Griselda is correct that Marielitos made up a significant part of the real Godmother of cocaine’s army. It was with these men that Griselda developed her signature assassination style, which saw Marielito hitmen shoot their targets while riding by on motorcycles (which is, ironically, how Griselda herself was assassinated in 2012). Still, the Netflix series didn’t dive too far into who the Marielitos were, how they came to the United States, or whether they were all criminals. For this reason, the series has been accused of depicting Latin immigrants as inherently violent (via refinery29).
Like most groups of people depicted on TV, Griselda simplifies the Marielitos’ plight. In truth, most during this time were those who, by personal account, had needed to publically admit to being criminals, homosexuals, or general “non-revolutionaries” in order to be approved to emigrate from Cuba. This status followed them into the United States and made life in the country difficult. Ultimately, each Marielito’s story is different, and Griselda couldn’t begin to cover the complexities of those in gangs and out.
Are Members Of The Marielitos Gang Still Around Today?
The Marielitos that did become gang members established a culture that has continued to be passed down, so the word no longer applies only to those who immigrated through the Mariel boatlift crisis. Today, Marielito gang members aren’t restricted to Miami. New York City and Los Angeles are both considered modern hot spots for the gangs, which continue to take part predominantly in drug trafficking and contract killing. Still, the Marielitos’ numbers aren’t nearly as high as they were during Griselda Blanco’s day.
After Griselda was arrested, as was seen at the end of Netflix’s Griselda, the Miami drug wars died down. The Marielitos under her employ presumedly went to work for other cartels, but even the Ochoa brothers were arrested in the years following the 1980s. In all, this goes to show just how much Griselda had influenced the drug world in Miami. It was because of her orders and the Marielitos brutally carrying them out that the drug wars became as violent as they did. Without her and her soldiers, this criminal industry was forever changed.
Griselda
Griselda is a Netflix mini-series inspired by the savvy and ambitious Colombian businesswoman Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspected savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business, leading her to become widely known as the “Godmother.”
- Release Date
- January 25, 2024
- Cast
- Alberto Ammann , Paulina Davila , Alberto Guerra , Martin Rodriguez , Sofia Vergara , Diego Trujillo , Juliana Aidén Martinez , Christian Tappan , Gabriel Sloyer , Vanessa Ferlito , José Zúñiga
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Doug Miro , Eric Newman , Carlo Bernard , Ingrid Escajeda
- Writers
- Ingrid Escajeda , Doug Miro , Cassie Pappas
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Directors
- Andrés Baiz
- Showrunner
- Ingrid Escajeda
