Threats, violence, and kilos of coke are just the start for this cocaine cowboy

By Gus Garcia-Roberts

Published on June 23, 2009 at 1:03pm

Charles Cosby was more than the star of Cocaine Cowboys 2.  He lived that story.  He lived the good life.  Griselda Blanco was a notorious Columbian Drug Lord in the 1980s, known for her ruthlessness.   It’s amazing that she was not only a woman who was able to keep up with her male counterparts, but surpass them in many cases.   Sitting comfortably in my living room, Charles shared the details of his life with such openness and candor that it was refreshing.  As a woman who has dated incarcerated men, and as a woman with some small degree of power who has helped men build their companies and empires only to have them move on afterwards, my first question was a bit personal—“did you love her?”

And even though Charles assured me that he did love her, it wasn’t until he put her son, Michael Corleone, on the phone with me that I realized just how much he did love her.  Charles still has a warmth and a deep affection for Griselda’s favorite son, even after all these years of not speaking with her.  Michael, who grew close to Charles when he was dating his Mother, looks to Charles as a father figure.  And although Griselda has gone back to Columbia, or Rio, or wherever she is, Michael and Charles still have a strong familial relationship.  The love is apparent on both sides. 

Charles Cosby’s story was honest, but that wasn’t difficult for him.  It was like therapy for him to get it all off his chest.  Griselda was a caring, generous, beautiful woman, and Charles fell in love with the woman behind the image.  And she loved him very much and he felt the love completely.

Growing up in East Oakland, known as Anthony or Dot by his friends and family, his goal was to be a lawyer.  But selling drugs at 16 years old allowed the money to quickly replace the legitimate dreams.  In 1984, Charles was a mid-level drug dealer controlling a handful of crack houses.  After his original distributor was murdered in 1985, it killed his business and his mentor.  Charles moved 150 miles south to Fresno, CA where he soon ran out of money.

Upon returning to Oakland, he returned to the streets.  In the mid-80s, drug dealers were rampant, even more so than now.  There were no mandatory minimums for sentencing, snitches weren’t an issue, and one could call up the local dealer on the phone and place an order, even if you weren’t known to him.  It was a different era.  In February of 1985, Charles saw a television news clip of the arrest of the notorious Griselda Blanco.  He was amazed at who she was, her tremendous power, and what she had built—it was everything he was trying to build for himself.  She was known as the Godmother of Cocaine and the fact that she was a shot caller as a female was outstanding to him.  Six years later, Charles met a Panamanian lady who had worked for Griselda in the past.  After striking up a conversation, Charles convinced her to make the introduction to Griselda in prison.  Charles wrote Griselda a heartfelt letter, and although he didn’t expect a response from her, he got one.

They wrote back and forth for a year, and Charles went to see her in person (1992).  When she came out to visitation, she was dressed to the hilt in a bright red suit with red pumps, while every other inmate was dressed in khaki.  Griselda, at 50 years old, looked more like a socialite than an inmate.  Their relationship was based on letters, phone calls, and visits.  Almost immediately, Griselda became his distributor.  By the time Charles got home from the visit, two cardboard boxes arrived at his front door by special delivery–filled with bricks of cocaine.  The focus of the relationship was business, but it became personal.

Charles went from making $40,000 to millions of dollars in 4 to 6 weeks.  His life changed drastically.  He was 22 or 23 years old.  Griselda was a great teacher, keeping him focused and his ego in check.  He spread throughout the Bay Area and northern California and became the distributor for his friends and friends of friends.  He also ran errands for Griselda by being exposed to her network in NC, OH, VA, NY, Los Angeles.  He met with distributors and acted as a mouth piece for her.  She trusted him completely.

Charles became close to 2 of her 4 sons: Michael Corleone and Oswaldo.  Charles was 10 years older than Michael and 3 years younger than Oswaldo, but they were like brothers.  Griselda and Charles were together until 1996.

Charles met a woman named Amber in the visiting room of the prison.  He began sleeping with her.  When Griselda found out (she was still incarcerated), Charles was attacked with 12 warning shots which were intended to end his life.  Oddly, it made Griselda and Charles closer, and made Charles realize how much Griselda loved him.

When Griselda had 18 months left of her incarceration, new murder charges were being filed against her and they were trying to put her on death row.  Griselda was shook.  She felt no Columbian had ever gotten a fair trial in the US.  Her plan was to kidnap John F Kennedy, Jr. and Charles was not with the plan.  Although speculation is that Charles rolled on her, he says that if his goal was to have her incarcerated, there were crimes he knew about that would have put her away for life, he didn’t have to expose a kidnapping plan.

Griselda was moved from California to Florida and Charles was subpoenaed to testify against Griselda.  He wasn’t helpful to the prosecution because he felt she had done so much for him and his family.  A secretary for the prosecution, on the day of his deposition, came to Charles’ hotel room and had sex with him.  It came to light later on in the trial that this same secretary was having phone sex with the star witness against Griselda, thus disabling the Prosecution’s case.  Griselda was offered a plea bargain and took it.

In June of 2004, Griselda was released from prison and deported immediately back to Bogata Columbia.  After the statute of limitations passed, the directors of Cocaine Cowboys approached Charles to tell his story.  He saw they were at the top of their game.  Cocaine Cowboys 2 has been released into 52 countries and is available in WalMart, Target, etc, unlike Cocaine Cowboys which was a bit harder to find.

It took 15 months to put Cocaine Cowboys 2 together (Mark Cuban financed the movie), and it made Charles a star even though he’s remained humble.  He’s not comfortable with the notoriety.  At the screening of Cocaine Cowboys 2, the main question the press was asking Charles was didn’t he fear for his life that Griselda would have him assassinated.  At that point, Charles introduced Michael Corleone as his special guest.  If Griselda had a hit out on him, it wasn’t apparent.

Charles has written a book along with his biographer—an investigative journalist.  Charles spends his time traveling between Los Angeles and Belize.  His focus is on speaking to the youth.  He doesn’t want them to follow his path because they will end up dead or in jail.  He sees the danger of peer pressure in this materialistic society, but the penitentiary comes with those trappings of success.

I didn’t ask Charles if he snitched on Griselda.  He volunteered the fact that he was subpoenaed and he had to go to Florida to testify—not a snitch move.  Griselda received a copy of the film before anyone else saw the movie.  Her only complaint about Cocaine Cowboys 2, according to Charles, was that it showed her murdered son, Oswaldo, in his casket.

When asked if he had any regrets, Charles thoughtfully said he wished he had continued in school and gotten his law degree.  The idea of a white picket fence and a country club membership are looking real good to him now.  But he’s thankful that he has a story to tell that might stop one or two people from going down the same path he chose.

Charles Cosby is an amazing and interesting man.  And he’s sooooo much more than just Griselda Blanco’s (former) man.

Letter from Griselda Blanco to Charles Cosby

Profiled in countless books, magazines and movies, the reclusive billionaire Griselda “The Godmother” Blanco for 5 years penned her most intimate thoughts to one man – Charles Cosby aka Michael Garcia – her young lover and partner in crime. Considered a legend in his own right and star of the hugely successful documentary Cocaine Cowboys 2, Cosby offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to Griselda Blanco fans around the world to own an authentic piece of history! For more than 10 years this vast collection of one-of-a-kind greeting cards and letters, personally signed by Griselda Blanco, and many with lip-stick kisses, sat in the evidence room at the Miami-Dade Police Department until only recently.

Numerous offers from crime historians and true crime collectors to purchase the entire lot of cards and letters have been turned down. Griselda Blanco’s true fans deserve to own an authentic peice of history and here is the chance!

The Collection is available now on the Products Page!

Charles Cosby

Charles Cosby talks with Jason “A-Town” Lavezzari in the February 2009 issue of Mids Magazine. Read the entire text article here…

1. Being only 16 and selling crack, how did it make you feel making a lot of money at such young age?

I began selling crack-cocaine at 16 years old to fit in with my peers – because they were selling crack. I never had ideas of becoming rich; I merely wanted a flashy car, jewelry and the latest in designer clothing. I risked my life and liberty carving a niche in the flourishing East Oakland crack trade. I was living my dream of hood wealth. I had thousands of dollars, a nice car, and a few fine bitches. I had the appearance of success, but by no stretch of the imagination was I a kingpin. I was merely a face in the crowd.

2. Before meeting the god mother, how much money would you say you saved up at one point in time? Also, what is the biggest amount you have bought at once before meeting the god mother?

Prior to linking up with Griselda “Godmother” Blanco I had as much as $40-$50 Thousand which is a substantial amount of money for a person in their late teens/early twenties. The most crack I’ve ever had at any period prior to Blanco was a kilogram.

3. Running 3 crack houses in only 6 months and making 1-2 thousand a day, how does that feel for a young man in Oakland?

The crack houses that I controlled were fairly successful but no where near as successful as my counterparts. I earned one thousand dollars every other day at each crack house, but I knew guys who earned 10 times that amount in one day, at one crack house.

4. When u first seen the god mother on the news, what went through your head? Also, did you have any clue at that point you would ever meet her in the future?

I was astonished at the news reports. She was the boss of bosses in the Colombian Underworld, and a female no less. That was a first for me…probably for the world as well! I had no clue that I’d ever cross paths with Griselda, but my hopes were I would.

5. The very first time the god mother called you on the phone from jail, and she
told you her name, what was your first reaction? And did you ever think she would call you after you wrote her the letter you sent to her?

When I heard Griselda’s voice for the first time, my heartbeat tripled. I was nervous. I was used to dealing with my guys in the hood, Brookfield Village, and here I am on the phone with an international legend that represented everything that I strived so hard to become…I was in a state of euphoria.

6. How was it taking Michael Corleone Blanco under your arm as a surrogate father? What did ya’ll do?

It was an honor to even meet Michael Corleone, to begin with. He was the most important person in Griselda’s life. So, for her to allow me to socialize with Michael demonstrated the degree of trust she invested in me. At 12 years old Michael was very wise in the street sense. This is a kid who grew up in the most famous and powerful underworld family in the world, but yet he was humble. Michael and I did many wonderful things together; we took trips to Miami, the Bahamas, We even paraglided in Belize once. We were family. I loved him as much as I do today!

7. After hearing her tell her story to you, did you ever think if you crossed her that she would do the same to you?

Griselda has a very big heart, but If crossed she will react a certain way, just as I would. The Blanco’s were attacked at every turn and Griselda defended her family like any mother would. Many people have the wrong perception of Griselda. They see her as a murderer, but she is far from that. She’s a very loving mother and grandmother. She’s respected in Colombia, and is a mother to thousands of young misguided men who don’t have mothers of their own. She believes in helping those who are unable to help themselves but quite often she’s labeled an evil woman by the media.

8. Being only 22 years old, how did it feel to rub elbows with the queen pen? Did it seem surreal for a kid from Oakland would ever be involved with the Colombian cocaine queen?

It was a feeling of exhilaration to share the company of Griselda Blanco. I was honored to be a piston in her machine. She created many opportunities for me which in turn afforded my children a better life, for which I am eternally grateful. I don’t know where I’d be if not for Griselda Blanco.

9. after meeting the god mother in jail , and a week later getting 50 kilos of
cocaine getting dropped off at your front door like a fed ex package, how did
that make you feel getting your hands on so much weight?

Griselda Represented everything I strived to become in the underworld…She represented the big leagues and I was just a little leaguer, but we came together and made shit happen and it all started from 50 kilograms of Colombian Cocaine. I had never seen so much dope in my life. I was in a state of shock. I knew it would be the best of everything – cars, homes, jewelry – from there on out and it was.

10. When you made your first million dollars, what was the first lavish thing that you bought?

My first major purchase was a Corvette ZR1. I dropped $65,000 on it. I have always been a speed fanatic and at the time that was the fastest production car on the market aside from a Lamborghini Countach…I still have it today It has only 9,000 miles on it.

11. I’m pretty sure everybody would like to know, what does it feel like to be the man?

Being the top guy in any form of employment, whether dealing drugs or working at the post office – brings on more responsibility. If something doesn’t go right everyone will look for someone to blame and it usually ends up being the person with the most responsibility. More responsibility means more problems.

12. After only 45 days of working with the god mother and u became a millionaire,
did you ever think it would be possible, to be in the position that you were in?

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be in such a position, to go from thousands of dollars, to literally millions overnight! It was a fast paced ride.

13. At what point in your life did you get your “trust no bitch ‘ tattoo? Also, what made u get it ? Also, do you still feel the same way?

I got the “trust no bitch” tattoo after I was shot. It was my way of rebelling against Griselda.

14. How did you react when you first heard you have a million dollar contract on your head? And do you know if the contract is still on your head?

I took it in stride. I knew the consequences of turning my back on Griselda would be drastic but I was prepared to accept my punishment like a man. I was only fearful for my children, never for myself. There is no longer a contract on my life; the order was rescinded within the past year. Griselda has become a born-again Christian. The Blanco’s and I are all on the same page…We want to live in peace! It’s too much going on in the world to wake up angry and hell bent on destroying lives. The past has been buried.

15. Was the age difference ever a problem between you and the god mother?

The age difference never posed a problem for either of us. In the beginning I was a bit skeptical because I had never been romantically involved with a woman of Griselda’s age, but as time slipped by we were like any other couple in love. We were partners in life and in business. Griselda was my best friend, my companion, my teacher, my mentor.

16. What were you first thinking when your first had sex with her, for you to know that you were having sex with a billionaire cocaine queen pin?

The experience of having sex with Griselda was no different than being with any other woman. Sure she was a billionaire, but I made love to the woman not the image. She was as romantic as any woman I’d been with. I won’t go too deeply into specifics, but Griselda knows how to please her man if I must say so myself.

17. How deep of feeling did ya’ll have for each other?

Griselda and I not only became best friends but partners in crime. We confided in one another constantly. If she was going thru a situation I was her shoulder to cry on and the same applied with her; she was my umbrella of support. We shared an intimate connection that life-long friends don’t share.

18. How does it feel to be one of the very few, if not, the only person to know the entire god mothers secrets?

The Godmother and I shared many secrets that I will NEVER divulge, not even to save my life. She trusted me enough to share many intimate details about her journey from a Colombian Immigrant to a billionaire narco trafficker who controlled a labyrinth of 1500 subordinates. I was as close to Griselda as blood relatives so as you can imagine I was exposed to a litany of carefully guarded secrets in the first person account.

19. When you met amber in 93? Did you ever think that it would get back to the god mother? And at that point were you worried if she did find out?

When Amber and I became romantically involved I had no idea Griselda would be made aware of the affair. It never crossed my mind, not once. But once the relationship came to light all hell broke loose. I can’t blame Griselda for the chaos that followed because if a person was pledging their undying love to me and I found out they were having a secret affair, all rationale would have gone out of the window – I would’ve responded as Griselda did!

20. You have done something no black man has ever been able to do which is being able to get deep inside the Colombian drug trafficking business. How did you feel knowing you have accomplished that?

Well, I have always been one who loves a great adventure. I am driven like no one I’ve ever met. I believe in taking chances…I’m a risk taker. I live by the motto “take a risk, or risk the consequences.” When I see an opportunity I take full advantage of it and Griselda represented the opportunity of a lifetime. I was able to penetrate a Colombian Cartel because I had the blessings of Griselda Blanco – the person of last resort. Her word was law! Without her Charles Cosby has NO story!

21. In your movie “Cocaine Cowboys 2 ” you talk about osvaldo, how ya’ll became close like brothers. When “el Negro” called you and told you he has been murdered, how hard did that hit you? Also, what was going through your head knowing that you had to be the one to tell the god mother of his passing?

Oswaldo was one of the few Colombians from that colorful era who genuinely loved black people. He was best friends with Washington D.C. kingpin Rayful Edmond. Together, they earned $200 Million in the District of Columbia while they were locked up in Lewisburg Federal prison. Oswaldo was super intelligent. He was a whiz at calculating numbers like his mom. The morning I received the dreadful phone call of his passing my world was shattered. It was like I lost my own brother. Ironically, I have lost a brother and the pain was nearly as great. I feared Griselda would suffer a nervous breakdown because her children were her life – she lived and breathed for her sons. But that morning I was the bearer of bad news.

22. When you were on 98th Avenue at the light, and the 3 Colombians opened fire on your car at the red light, did you know right away that it had to be the god mother sending a hit because she found out about you and amber?

I had no idea at that moment that the gunmen may have been connected to Griselda. But as I said; the past is the past. There is no more bad blood I have a world of respect for Griselda. She’s a loving grandmother and I’m a proud father. I wish her sunny days and eternal happiness.

23. when you told the god mother, ” god mother, if you put your hands on me again I’m going to fuck you up. ” did you say it hastily from frustration of her choking you, or at specific time that happened, were you ready to fuck her up?

My response was a reaction to the embarrassment I suffered in the packed visiting room. Who wants to be choked in front of a crowd of people by a woman no less? I didn’t have any real intention of physically attacking Griselda. If I did I doubt I would have made it out of the prison alive. I’m sure I would’ve been beaten to death by the guards, no less. Griselda was indeed a very powerful woman.

24. From that point on , did you think or did you feel that she truly trusted you, or she had other motives for keeping you around, then she would get rid of you whenever she was done having you take care of whatever she needed?

I fell out of favor with Griselda for the next several weeks, but the broken trust was repaired. I don’t believe there were any secret motives in her keeping me around. She loved me and like any husband or boyfriend who’s been caught cheating by their significant other, Griselda was devastated and she responded accordingly.

25. Also, did you fully trust her after that point?

I didn’t have a reason not to trust Griselda. She still made sure I ate even after discovering my deceit. She could’ve cut my supply, or replaced me with one phone call. But she kept me around because she genuinely loved me.

26. What did you think when she threatened brook field, did you think she was serious?

I knew she meant business. Griselda is not the type of person to make idle threats. Only fakes do that. She’s the real deal. If she wants something done, it will be done! Fortunately, I was able to quell her anger.

27. Nov 93, when she told you she had plans on kidnapping John F. Kennedy Jr. so she could hold him for ransom and get herself out of jail, what was going through your head?

I was against the plot from the moment she shared it with me. I made Griselda aware of my feelings but at that point she was desperate and not thinking from a clear perspective. Florida had ideas of sending her to death row, and in her mind she was guilty until convicted. So until you walk in some one else’s shoes you have no idea of the dept of their struggles. But had Griselda asked me to do anything else I would have gladly obliged but I didn’t want any parts of a plot that was destined to fail. As far as I was concerned we could’ve hired the best and brightest legal talent in the world to defend Griselda against the capital murder charges, but her life was on the line and she felt as though she wouldn’t receive a fair trial in an American court room and that’s how the plot to Kidnap Kennedy came about.

28. Did you ever get to the point to where you thought to yourself you finally got in too deep with the god mother and you would rather just go your own way?

When the Kennedy fiasco came about I had thoughts of “this is out of my league, I just want to be normal again.” All the money I earned, my high-flying career had come down to a fuckin’ kidnapping. I couldn’t believe it.

29. You more then anybody knows how dangerous the god mother is. Is the million dollar bounty she put on your head still going?

I reiterate: THERE IS NO DEATH CONTRACT ON MY LIFE!

30. What was going through your head and how were you feeling knowing when you got the subpoena in the mail, that you would have to testify against the god mother about the John F. Kennedy Jr. kidnapping attempt or spend the rest of your life in jail?

That’s a misconception! I was NEVER going to testify against Griselda Blanco at trial. I never gave prosecutors any relevant information at the deposition that could’ve hurt Griselda’s case. I didn’t want to be in Florida to begin with and to kick her in the face while she is down is not something I’d do to even my enemy. She and I had a disagreement and for that very reason she and I “divorced” so to speak. I was living my life in California and a year later I received a Subpoena from the State of Florida. As I alluded to in Cocaine Cowboys 2, it was a complete and total surprise.

31. People always see the glamorous side of the drug dealer life style, the money, cars, clothes, hoes. But they never really see the own side to being a drug dealer. Please let the people know the downsides to being a drug dealer for the younger people that think selling drugs is all fun and games with no repercussions.

A drug dealer’s success is measured by the price of his cars, the size of his diamonds, and the exoticness of his women. I had all those things in great abundance, but for every successful dealer like Charles Cosby there are 10 thousand unlucky dealers, in every ghetto across America, who have had the misfortune of being shot, killed, arrested and sentenced to life in prison on a variety of drug charges. Although I will not knock a man for the way he in which he chooses to feed and cloth his children, I will say there is never a right way to do a wrong thing.

32. What would you like to tell the younger generation about growing up and doing something positive with there life instead of going down the road of selling drugs?

You only get one shot at life – make the best of it. Make wise decisions. If you’re going to sell drugs, there will be legal consequences someday. A drug dealer has to be lucky every day of his life…The police only have to be lucky once!

33. Please tell the people about your book.

My book “Hustlin’ With The Godmother: THE CHARLES COSBY STORY” is not yet available. My agent, Joel Gotler, is in negotiations with several big name publishing houses. The title, co-authored by investigative journalist Mark Ebner, will be available for purchase later this year. It promises to be a best seller – so stay tuned!

34. How hard was it for you to make the transition from being one of the biggest drug dealers to just stop selling drugs cold turkey and living a normal life?

It wasn’t difficult at all. My resolve to walk away from a multi-million-dollar business was stronger than my love of money. I wanted to live right and do right by my children. I wanted to look at myself in the mirror and for once be proud of who I saw – the proud man my mom raised me to be. I realized only when it was too late that a man’s character cannot be defined by riches but by the way in which he lives his life.

35. What does Charles Cosby like to do on his spare time?

I enjoy eating fine foods, mainly Pakistani, Belizean and Colombian dishes. I enjoy shopping, antiquing at flea markets and auction houses. I also occupy my time reading and watching old black-and-white westerns. I spend my summers in Belize where I own a small 2 bedroom house on the beach. However, I didn’t get the chance to visit this past summer because of my endless promotion of Cocaine Cowboys 2, which has become a huge seller in 52 countries.

36. After meeting the queen pin, what the most money you stacked up at one point in time?

Your readers will have to rent or purchase “Cocaine Cowboys 2” to find out but I will go on record and state I had direct access to several accounts controlled by Griselda Blanco with deposits totaling $65 Million. Griselda took care of me financially and she never broke a promise!

37. What would you like to tell the kids / younger people about how important it is to stay in school and to further there education?

I am a strong believer that God places people in certain situations to be a light of inspiration to others — and hopefully that’s what I’ve become to the young, often forgotten segment of society! I have survived through so many negative situations and I’m still here to tell my story…It’s my turn to save lives. Our kids aren’t listening to the teachers or the preachers, but they’ll listen to me ’cause I am an example of the best & the worst that life has to offer!! I want my redemption to serve as an example that there are more opportunities for a young black man than holding down the block. We are losing too many of our children. 20 years ago I was causing the same grief on the same streets…But I found myself! And now I want to help the young guys who are lost, find themselves. I can’t stress enough how important it is to put down the guns! Let your real characters shine. Make your mothers and children proud of you! Stop worrying about what the next person thinks of you!! Live for tomorrow, not just today!! Because at the end of the day it’s not about what brand names you’re wearing, what kind of car you drive, or how many “important” people you claim to know. It’s about being able to look at yourself in a mirror & be proud of what you see!! I love you & I won’t give up on you ’cause I was once you!!!!!!

38. I read in one of your interviews that you said “no black, white, or Colombian man has done Griselda and I accomplished” please explain to the people what u mean by your statement.

I’ll give your readers a breakdown of what I meant: Griselda Blanco was a Billionaire Cocaine Queen and I was just a crack dealer whose only opportunities for upward mobility were confined to the ghetto. But Griselda and I, by the stroke of a pen came together, became friends, lovers and eventual business partners in a multi-million dollar enterprise. She took a chance on a kid from East Oakland and it paid off for her to the tune of $200 Million in a 4 year span. Where else in history have you witnessed such a story? This remarkable accomplishment hasn’t been done before or certainly since. There will never be two criminals to pull off What Griselda and I did – not in a lifetime!

39. How did u feel having daily routines working for the god mother flying from city to city, state to state, taking care of major cocaine transactions?

In the very beginning of my partnership with Griselda Blanco it was exciting to visit other cities and states. It was a new experience. I had never been out of California, so to wake up one morning in New York and fall asleep later that evening in a penthouse suite in Miami was a rush. I was living my dreams of wealth and power – and I was working with the Godmother. But then, the endless traveling wore me down psychologically – one deal at a time! I couldn’t keep up with the rigorous pace of the business. Even with the millions I earned, I was no longer enthusiastic about the business. I had become complacent.

40. Its obvious you’re a fly ass nigga when it comes to your wardrobe, as the west coast don it’s only right for you to have a playa ass wardrobe and stay on top of ya game. Do you think it’s important to stay looking sharp when it comes to being on top of any game? And for the people that don’t know, has looking fly always been a part of your attire?

I’ve always been a sharp dresser. A hustler’s wardrobe, whether he’s a pimp or a dope dealer, has to be designer casual – the most expensive. I’ve always worn custom tailored white linen. Why? Because it allows me to stand out in any crowd, it reinforces my status as a boss and it’s nothing more appealing to a woman than to see a handsome chocolate man dressed in white linen. A successful dope dealer’s wardrobe is as unique to his character as his fleet of cars.

41. I know that you’re a man that loves different cars. How many cars would you say that you have had in your lifetime, and what types have they been?

If I had to take a guess I’d say I’ve owned two dozen cars over the years ranging from Corvette’s, to Mercedes Benz’s, Jaguars, and Range Rovers. But my favorite care has to be my CL63 Renntech Mercedes Benz. It’s not only stylish, but it’s as fast as a Ferrari 430.

42. I really want to stress to my readers and have them understand that you, Charles Cosby, are the real life scar face. People hear about George Jung from the movie “Blow” and think he is the main man, or people hear about Nicky Barnes and the drug dealer Rick Ross. Please help me paint a picture for the
readers how much larger you were compared to them.

I won’t even attempt to compare my accomplishments to those guys (with the exception of George Jung) he wasn’t even on my level so you can scratch him from the list. As for Nicky Barnes or Rick Ross they were self made millionaires. I was indoctrinated into an already thriving enterprise. However Nicky and Rick established themselves and built multi-million dollars enterprises respectively, from the ground up. I had the benefit of starting at the top of the food chain with Billionaire Griselda Blanco – the matriarch of a hemispheric drug cartel. It’s as though I raced Nicky and Rick in a 100 yard dash, but I started on the 50 yard mark. So, it’s really not fair to compare our accomplishments – I was given a head start!

43. How do you feel about the war on drugs? Do you think its bullshit and a waste of time, or do you think it really serves a purpose. Also Do u think its a never ending “war”?

WHAT WAR?! The war on drugs is the BIGGEST failure since the assassination of President Kennedy. America has the strongest military force on planet earth. If they wanted to sincerely put an end to drug dealing – once and for all – they could bomb drug producing nations such as Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico – Into oblivion. That’s what they did to Iraq and its citizens in search of weapons of mass destruction, right? But isn’t drugs just as dangerous as illegal weapons? Drugs have become just as American as apple pie – and prostitution! America will NEVER eliminate the prevalence of drugs because that underworld economy employs a large segment of law enforcement on the federal and local level. Without drugs to stimulate the economy many folks would be unemployed primarily the Drug Enforcement Administration. If law enforcement doesn’t reach their quotas relative to interdicting drugs and confiscating assets from suspected drug suspects, their funding dollars will decrease. And if they don’t make any significant drug arrests, they essentially will be disbanded. The war on drugs is a fuckin’ joke!

44. Looking back, do u regret any of the choices you have made as far as major cocaine trafficking is concerned?

I regret 99% of the choices I made, but I won’t go as far as saying I was a bad person. I was a person who made bad decisions. Destroying lives and trafficking in drugs is a lose/lose situation no matter how you look at it. Drugs and violence goes hand-in-hand – and I shared a bed with both. I can’t change the damage I orchestrated against the “hood” but I can change the course I travel. I’m on a mission to save lives!

I am so grateful, appreciative and humbled by the amazing support I’ve received. I feel incredibly blessed and honored. I’ve met so many wonderful and down to earth people who live in such far away places as Sweden , Germany , London , Australia , Brazil , Japan , China , New Zealand , Amsterdam and many other countries. But my biggest thanks go to my dear mom, the late Mrs. Erma Jean Garcia-Cosby; I hope you’re proud of me…Rest In Paradise. To my dear brother, Julius “Papa Mack” Henderson May you rest in paradise as well. I would also like to thank my wife, Erica Cosby. Thank you for saving my life. My children, La Tasha, Mya, Renesha, Anthony and Shanice. You are the breath I breathe. Let my mistakes be the stepping stones to your success. Heartfelt thanks to my nephew, BLJ, for being there whenever I called upon his assistance. In a time when friends are so hard to come by and people so difficult to trust I count you as one of my few true friends. Thanks to Griselda Blanco, Michael Corleone Blanco , Cris “One Bad Colombian” Rios, Donovin Kennedy, Taray Green and all the hustlers (worldwide) who have supported my hustle by purchasing Cocaine Cowboys 2. Thanks to the incredible men behind “Cocaine Cowboys 2” Billy Corben, Alfred Spellman Evan Rosenfeld and David Cypkin for allowing me to realize my dreams and supplying the vehicle with which to broadcast my remarkable story. I also send thanks to the many fearless men who sacrificed their own safety to shield me from the hostile elements of the sinister world I called home. And lastly, in honor of the countless victims claimed by the crack-cocaine holocaust may you too rest in paradise!

Scarface Meets New Jack City:

In 1991, Charles Cosby was selling ounces of cocaine on the inner-city streets of Oakland, California. Bringing in a couple grand a week, he was living the new American Dream.

Then he wrote a fan letter to “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco – immortalized in rakontur’s Cocaine Cowboys – who was serving time at a nearby federal prison. Six months later, he was a multi-millionaire after the Godmother sent an underworld courier to deliver 10 kilos of high grade cocaine to Cosby’s residence. In 1992, Griselda set him up with 50 kilos, he made $3 million in 3 weeks.

Despite being incarcerated, Griselda still generated 50 million per year in the drug trade, she ran her business from her prison cell. When she first arrived in New York from Columbia, she wrestled the drug trade from five mob families and was soon generating $10 million dollars a week with a network of dealers that numbered 1500.

Griselda also gave Pablo Escobar his start in the drug trade. He often referred to her as his mentor and when she moved her business to Miami, Escobar was a regular at her Biscayne Bay parties.

Charles Cosby (above) was not only running Blanco’s $40 million a year cocaine business, he was also her lover. Griselda appointed him to run five drug hubs in Los Angeles, Seattle, North and South Carolina, Virginia and New York. He was the first black man to ever penetrate her inner-circle.

Griselda gifted him with a $20,000 rolex chain and she paid the guards at the prison $1500 so she could have sex with Charles on prison grounds.

Cosby made the mistake of carrying on a relationship with another woman. Griselda was outraged and put out a “warning” hit on Cosby. Shooters shot at him 12 times before he escaped in his sports car. Cosby must have forgotten, in the past, Griselda murdered or sponsored 250 drug related murders in this country. Griselda was also known as “The Black Widow,” for her propensity to permanently dispose of her men when she’s done with them (or when they betray her), Griselda would stop at nothing to ensure that Charles was faithful to her. And he would learn that lesson the hard way.

A few days later he reconciled with Griselda after she reminded him that due to her, he now grossed $9 million per year.

When she recruited him to participate in a prison break that involved the kidnapping of JFK Jr., Charles knew he was in over his head.

Shortly afterwards, Cosby was contacted by the authorities to give a disposition regarding two murder cases against Griselda Blanco.

When Cosby returned home, he heard that Griselda had put a $1 million dollar bounty on his head. That contract has yet to be carried out.

This is the story of a kid from the streets who (literally) gets in bed with a Colombian queen pin. It’s New Jack City meets Scarface – only the truth!

Griselda Blanca was released from prison and was deported to Columbia where she lives today.

via Honor Roll Music

You are a guitar hero. No one’s going to argue with that. And you’ve been known to deliver a fierce “Welcome to the Jungle” when the karaoke occasion calls for it.

But it’s about time you explored your recording potential. And that’s where Honor Roll Music comes in.

Recently opened by two friends with an impressive track record in the recording industry (they’re responsible for Vanessa Hudgens’ debut album), the studio, located in a warehouse in Little Haiti, is a creative hub in Miami, attracting aspiring DJs, indie-rockers and belting vocalists to its wood-paneled facilities.

When they’re not busy scoring films like Cocaine Cowboys II (you passed on a cameo in that) and commercials for Burger King (those too), the owners help guide you through the three recording hubs, editing/mixing suites and ample rehearsal space for you and your bandmates. There are also plenty of quirky touches, like a tiny hallway that leads to a small space for a drum kit, or stacks of vinyl LPs just begging to be flipped through for inspiration.

When you’re not laying down your newest track, you can always kick back in a sleek “living room” complete with a huge projection television and premium stereo system.

And plenty of room for a muse or two.
Honor Roll Music, 5960 NE. 4th Ct (between 59th and 60th), 305-758-4440

Griselda Blanco - La Dama De La Mafia

Via Revista Don Juan

La leyenda de Griselda Blanco nació en un caluroso día de primavera de 1975 cuando su jet privado tocó tierra en el aeropuerto de Bogotá después de dos horas y media de vuelo desde Miami. Una caravana de negras limosinas, manejadas por un equipo de guardaespaldas, alcanzó el avión sobre la pista y se llevó rápidamente a la mujer de 32 años por las polvorientas calles de la capital colombiana.

Griselda había vuelto a su país natal para verse con su esposo y socio de negocios, Alberto Bravo, con el que había construido un cartel que movía cientos de kilos de cocaína en Estados Unidos y empleaba a cerca de 1.500 traficantes en el país. Erguida con su metro y medio, sus 75 kilos, una extensa y ovalada cara, y su mentón hendido, Griselda no era precisamente el estereotipo de la chica fantástica, la reina de la droga. Su creciente reputación entre los traficantes callejeros y las fuerzas de orden público, le habían hecho merecer el apodo de “la Madrina”. En esa ocasión, regresó a Colombia porque se sentía insatisfecha con su relación con Bravo y la administración que él le estaba dando a su vasto negocio.

Millones en ganancias habían desaparecido y ella culpaba a su esposo. Cuando sus guardaespaldas llegaron a un parqueadero de una discoteca en las afueras de Bogotá, Griselda sacó una pistola que tenía escondida en sus botas de piel de avestruz. Después de todo, esta era Colombia, donde la cocaína y las montañas de dinero que vienen con ella, compran cualquier lealtad, un hecho probado por la cantidad de cadáveres frescos que diariamente se arrojaban a la calle como parte de las limpiezas entre carteles. Griselda salió de su limosina y se acercó a Bravo que la esperaba con impaciencia al otro lado del parqueadero y con el respaldo de su propio equipo de malencarados matones. De inmediato sintió extraña a su esposa y la acusó de usar el nombre de ‘‘la Madrina” para hacerse a la cabeza de la organización. Por lo que se sabe, una enfurecida Blanco sacó su pistola y disparó varios tiros, apuntando a su esposo. Él respondió empuñando una Uzi que sacó de su cinturón. En medio del tiroteo murieron seis guardaespaldas. Blanco fue herida en el estómago pero se recuperó rápidamente de sus heridas. Su esposo, impactado en la cara, no corrió con la misma suerte.

En ese momento, Griselda eliminó no sólo a su esposo sino a uno de los más temibles personajes del negocio de la cocaína en Colombia.

Este fue el inicio del improbable ascenso de Blanco, que comenzó como una pobre ratera callejera y se convirtió, quizás, en la mujer más rica que ha triunfado por su propio esfuerzo en el mundo, la más sangrienta reina criminal cuyo rastro de sangre derramada se lee como un cuento de ficción. Ese mismo día, en el polvoriento parqueadero de Bogotá, obtuvo otro apodo: ‘‘la Viuda Negra’’.

Para ser una mujer cuyo reino de criminalidad no ha tenido precedente en la historia americana, la vida de Griselda Blanco ha estado cubierta por el misterio. Pero esto ha empezado a cambiar. En 2006, el director de cine de Miami Billy Corben y su compañero de producción Alfred Spellman, sacaron al aire el aclamado documental “Jinetes de la cocaína” (Cocaine Cowboys), que ofreció a la mayor parte de los espectadores una primera impresión de ‘‘la Madrina” y la convirtió en una especie de antihéroe en el set de la película Scarface. En julio de 2008, los directores vuelven con la secuela de Jinetes de la cocaína – Traficando con la Madrina (Cocaine cowboys –Hustlin` Whit the Godmother), que contribuirá a engrandecer su leyenda.

Cada vez con más fuerza, la historia de Griselda Blanco se posiciona como el mito de la mayor reina de la droga en la historia y como una de las más despiadadas. Es reconocida su propensión a la violencia (se sospecha que ordenó por lo menos 250 homicidios) y su estatus en el negocio de la cocaína supero incluso al de Pablo Escobar; en efecto, cuando Escobar se reunió con Blanco en Miami en los años setenta, él era apenas un pequeño jalador de carros de Medellín que buscaba entrar en el negocio. Gran parte de la historia de su vida parece provenir de la loca imaginación de un niño de 15 años, con una camiseta de Scarface: la dramática muerte de sus esposos, el hijo al que llamó Michael Corleone (“la Madrina” tenía un fetiche con la historia del Padrino), los diamantes que compró de la primera dama de Argentina Eva Perón, su escultura de bronce que otros capos de la droga acariciaban para obtener buena suerte cada vez que la visitaban en su mansión de Miami. “Griselda Blanco fue el catalizador para que el gobierno de Estados Unidos se percatara de los problemas que tenía en Miami. La ciudad se había convertido en la nueva Chicago”, asegura el fiscal de Miami, Sam Burstyn, y “ella era nuestro John Gotti”.

Aún hoy día, el misterio envuelve a la que fue una notable mujer en el mundo de las drogas, su sangrienta escalada hasta la cumbre del negocio, la habilidad para evadir a sus perseguidores y especialmente todo lo sucedido a ‘‘la Viuda Negra’’ después de su deportación a Colombia en el 2004. Muchos episodios de esta historia apenas están comenzando a salir a la luz y resultan más extraños que la ficción, pues poseen una mezcla de sexo, intriga y violencia que resulta difícil de creer.

Griselda blanco nació en colombia el 15 de febrero de 1943, en uno los barrios más pobres que rodean la ciudad de Cartagena. En este gueto, de casas de techo de lata, desvencijadas e inundadas, los niños se valían de pequeños robos para sobrevivir en el día a día. Su familia se trasladó a Medellín y se cuenta que Griselda, a la edad de once años, bajó de las lomas que circundaban la ciudad, junto a un grupo de niños pordioseros, hacia el centro del valle en donde secuestraron a un niño de diez años, miembro de una familia adinerada. Secretamente el niño fue transportado a un barrio pobre en las colinas, donde ella y sus secuaces lo tuvieron como rehén, mientras sometían a su familia con sus demandas.

Infortunadamente para el niño, la familia no reaccionó a tiempo. El grupo de muchachos le había dado a Blanco un arma para que le disparara al joven en el medio de los ojos. Quizás, por vivir en un ambiente tan propenso a la violencia, la niña de once años se sentía insensible a ideas sanguinarias, tal vez era sólo su naturaleza. El caso es que Griselda puso el arma en la cabeza del niño y apretó el gatillo y se convirtió en el primero de una larga lista de víctimas.

Según el agente de la DEA Bob Palombo, quien persiguió a Blanco por décadas –obsesionado por la leyenda de ‘‘la Ballena Blanco’’–, la futura ‘‘Viuda Negra’’ estaba destinada a una vida de crímenes aberrantes:
“Nunca creí en la idea de que era una mujer tratando de probar algo con su comportamiento violento; yo creo que era un aspecto inherente a su personalidad. Era consecuente con el ambiente en que creció. Ella simplemente era una persona violenta; en su preadolescencia robó billeteras y se prostituyó por dinero en las comunas de Medellín. A los 13 años conoció a Carlos Trujillo, un delincuente callejero que se especializaba en falsificar documentos de inmigración y en enviar inmigrantes ilegales a Estados Unidos. Blanco fue seducida por la seguridad criminal de Trujillo, se casó con él rápidamente y tuvo tres hijos. Luego, a principios de los años setenta, lo mató por una disputa de negocios. Este fue un acto que se repetiría en la vida de Blanco. Poco después, conoció –y se casó – con otro maleante, Alberto Bravo. En lugar de traficar con inmigrantes ilegales, Bravo traficaba cocaína, y a principios de 1970 ganó 26.000 dólares, una suma impresionante para ese entonces en Medellín”.

Fue así como Bravo y Blanco, como muchos otros después de ellos, decidieron perseguir el “Sueño americano”. Establecieron un negocio de cocaína en Queens, Nueva York, que rápidamente se tomó la Gran Manzana y dio comienzo al largo amorío que, por décadas, ha tenido la ciudad con la droga. En una ciudad donde los narcóticos eran controlados por cinco familias de la mafia, se estableció la pareja de colombianos con conexión directa a la fuente. Al comienzo Blanco contrató mulas femeninas que escondían pequeñas cantidades de cocaína en sus maletas de viaje, pero para mitad de 1970 sus pilotos volaban con cantidades considerables de droga directamente desde Colombia, proporcionándole millones de dólares mensuales. Con una larga nómina de clientes que incluía estrellas de cine y grandes atletas, era inevitable que la emergente organización de Blanco fuera objeto de escrutinio: una investigación en conjunto de la NYPD/DEA, denominada la Operación Banshee, llevó a cabo el señalamiento de Blanco y de más de treinta de sus subordinados en una conspiración federal y les abrió cargos por drogas, en abril de 1975. En su momento fue el caso más grande de cocaína de la historia.

Pero en cuanto se seleccionó a un jurado federal para procesar la acusación, Griselda se esfumó. “Teníamos cargos de conspiración y drogas contra ella”, recuerda Palombo, quien cumplió un papel central en la Operación Banshee. “Pero fue imposible encontrarla”. Sin que los federales lo supieran, Blanco se había escurrido hasta Colombia, donde mató a Bravo en la dramática balacera. A finales de 1970, siendo entonces la indiscutible cabeza de la operación, fundó su propio negocio en Miami. A su llegada debió enfrentar un hecho fortuito: el mercado local de cocaína estaba dirigido por una red de refugiados cubanos y un puñado de renegados traficantes americanos, recién llegados. Miami en los años setenta era una “ciudad virgen” –la puerta de salida de Latinoamérica– y un imán para el oscuro mundo criminal. Se trataba de un universo violento y llamativo que rápidamente fue glorificado en películas como Scarface y en programas de televisión como Miami Vice. Pero las misiones de Crockett y Tubbs eran un juego de niños frente a la agitada trama de eventos que tenían lugar en el área de tráfico del sur de la Florida.

Blanco no se sentía satisfecha con la idea de compartir las ganancias del juego de la droga: quería manejarlo todo. Fue así como a finales de 1970, junto a un grupo de maleantes liderados por ella y por su guardaespaldas, Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, se embarcó en la cacería de todos sus rivales, con el objetivo de eliminar a toda la competencia. Blanco era única en su crueldad. Si le solicitabas drogas y no pagabas a tiempo, podía tomar la decisión de asesinarte. Si Griselda hacía un negocio de drogas contigo y no se sentía bien paga, podía tomar la decisión de acabarte. Cuando ordenaba un asesinato, instruía a sus sicarios para que acabaran con todos los posibles testigos, incluyendo mujeres y niños. Rápidamente ‘‘la Madrina’’ organizó una red de distribución de costa a costa, con miles de empleados y ganancias que ascendían a miles de millones de dólares mensuales. Los traficantes de Miami ansiaban entrar en acción cuando pensaban en el lujoso penthouse de Griselda en la bahía de Biscayne, el palacio en Miami Beach, la colección de exóticos carros, las orgías inundadas de drogas y de desnudistas que complacían cualquier necesidad, incluso las de ‘‘la Madrina’’.

Era la decadencia en un nivel épico, pero la lujuria de sangre de Griselda acabaría con la fiesta. Cerca de las dos y media de la tarde del 11 de julio de 1979, el traficante de cocaína colombiano Germán Jiménez Panesso y un socio buscaban una costosa botella de whisky en los estantes del centro comercial Dadeland. Antes que pudieran seleccionar la botella, un trío de sicarios de Blanco que iban en una camioneta Ford Econoline con la leyenda “El tiempo alegre es el mejor complemento de una fiesta” (Happy time complete party supply) impresa en un lado del vehículo, rociaron a los dos hombres con una ráfaga de fuego, asesinándolos y dejando mal heridos a los dos empleados del centro comercial. Fue un golpe espectacular –“una réplica de los de Chicago en 1920”, dijo en su momento el jefe médico de Dade County, Ronald Wright– y cuando los policías arribaron a la escena, descubrieron que los asesinos habían abandonado la camioneta detrás del centro comercial. “La llamamos el ‘vagón de guerra’ porque todos sus costados estaban recubiertos por un cuarto de pulgada de acero y contaba con agujeros para las armas”, recuerda el detective de homicidios de County Dade, Raúl Díaz. “Los agujeros para las armas estaban recubiertos de plástico así que los tiradores podían ver hacia fuera y en cambio tú no podías ver hacia adentro”. Dentro del ‘‘vagón de guerra’’ fueron encontradas veinte armas cortas entre pistolas y ametralladoras.

La masacre ocasionó una orgía de violencia. La aguda investigación que se desencadenó, tenía totalmente despreocupada a Blanco. Según Rivi, “a ella le gustaba estar en guerra y todos los días impartía órdenes. Debemos hacer esto y aquello. Era algo que realmente disfrutaba”. Pero la violencia y el estilo de vida de ‘‘la Madrina’’ estaban llegando a su límite. La primera regla del negocio de la droga es mantener tu nariz alejada del producto y ‘‘la Madrina’’ no se destacaba por su autocontrol. La cocaína aumentó su paranoia y se retrajo durante largos períodos detrás de las puertas de su mansión, con su pastor alemán Hitler montando guardia. Pero lo que verdaderamente puso en peligro a Griselda, fue que el sobrino de Alberto Bravo, Jaime, se enteró de que ella era la responsable de la muerte de su tío.

“Jaime y dos francotiradores que trajo desde Colombia iban a los centros comerciales donde Griselda hacía compras”, recuerda Palombo. “El asunto se puso tan delicado, que interrumpimos nuestro caso de drogas contra Griselda para atrapar a Jaime y a sus cómplices”. En 1984, para evadir la persecución, Blanco viajó a California para esconderse e involucrarse en el negocio de drogas de la costa oeste.

Para comienzos de 1985, Griselda, de 45 años, se encontraba en una modesta casa de un suburbio en Irvine, California, con su madre Ana y su hijo más joven, Michael Corleone. Palombo y el equipo de la DEA la siguieron y rodearon la casa. Blanco estaba tan preocupada por los dos asesinos que trabajaban para Jaime como por la DEA. “Ella tenía el presentimiento de que su propia sangre andaba tras ella para matarla y que nosotros la perseguíamos de la misma manera”, asegura Palombo. En la madrugada del 10 de febrero, mientras Blanco dormía, el equipo de Palombo tiró abajo la puerta y subió al cuarto de ‘‘la Madrina’’. Fue una derrota humillante. Palombo besó la mejilla de Blanco cuando la atrapó y cumplió la promesa que le hizo a sus agentes: el día en que la capturaran, él sellaría el acto con un beso. Un jurado federal condenó a Blanco a cárcel sin posibilidad de fianza y la prensa que cubrió el arresto habló de Griselda como la “Reina de la Cocaína”. El fallo federal y el subsecuente juicio finalizaron con una sentencia de más de una década tras las rejas. Pero el negocio de Griselda Blanco estaba lejos de haber terminado.

A finales de un día de febrero de 1985, charles cosby se encontraba sentado en la sala de su modesto apartamento de clase media en el barrio de Brookfield Village al este de Oakland, cuando anunciaron el arresto de Blanco en la televisión. Cosby, que a finales de su juventud se convertiría en un traficante de onzas de cocaína en las esquinas del este de Oakland, se sintió impactado por la descripción de “la Reina de la cocaína”, de quien se decía, traficaba cientos de kilos de coca en Estados Unidos. “Quedé abrumado”, recuerda ahora Cosby. “Nunca había conocido a una mujer que vendiera drogas, mucho menos en ese nivel. Ella era billonaria”.

Para un tímido traficante como Cosby, para quien su pelo rizado y sus vestidos de diseñador lo hacían ver como una sátira de Chris Rock, Blanco era un modelo por seguir. Fortuitamente, ‘‘la Madrina’’ redujo su condena a veinte años y fue recluida en una prisión federal para mujeres de baja seguridad llamada “FCI Dublín”, a veinte millas de Oakland, “Griselda era la conexión de todas las conexiones”, dice Cosby. “A pesar de que yo apenas comenzaba a jugar en estas ligas, justo en ese momento mis ojos estaban puestos en el premio máximo”. Cuando una amiga de Cosby le confió que había sido alguna vez una de las mulas de Blanco, Cosby le pidió que se reconectaran, y sorpresivamente ella accedió. “Le dijo a Griselda que conocía a un joven negro, que quería conocerla”, narra Cosby, a lo que Griselda respondió: “Dile que se ponga en contacto conmigo”.

Después de una serie de llamadas y de cartas, Cosby fue a su primer encuentro cara a cara con ‘‘la Madrina’’, que duró horas en la prisión. Cuando se conocieron, Griselda abrazó a Cosby y le dio un largo, inesperado y apasionado beso en la boca. Luego se sentaron en la mesa de visitantes y empezaron a hacer negocios. “¿Cuánto necesitas para que tú y tu familia estén bien?”, le preguntó Griselda, Cosby quedó sorprendido por la pregunta y nerviosamente soltó una suma que él esperó que fuera rechazada: cincuenta paquetes. Blanco no dudó y el negocio se selló.

Tres días después, sonó el timbre en la puerta de Cosby. Cuando abrió una mujer latina que cargaba dos paquetes le dijo: “Tengo un encargo de ‘‘la Madrina’’”. Cosby apresuradamente abrió las cajas y encontró 50 kilos de cocaína. Al pasar el mes, Cosby se había convertido en millonario, uno que le rendía sus respetos a ‘‘la Madrina’’ de una manera inusual: cada vez que él la visitaba en prisión, Griselda le pagaba a los guardias 1.500 dólares para que pudieran tener sexo en los cuartos multipropósito de la prisión. “Cuando
ella me abrió las puertas del sistema todo estaba en orden. Todo lo que yo debía hacer era volar alrededor del país y encontrarme con los distribuidores”, explica Cosby. “Cada vez que agitaba la mano, obtenía un millón de dólares”. Blanco no sólo tomó a Cosby como su protegido, sino que le confió gran parte de su multimillonario negocio de dólares en Estados Unidos.

Aun en prisión sus enemigos temían por ella. En 1992, cuando su hijo Osvaldo fue asesinado en Medellín, ‘‘la Madrina’’ exigió venganza y los asesinos de Osvaldo fueron capturados, torturados y aniquilados. Pero las acciones legales en contra de Griselda no habían llegado a su fin. En 1994 la fiscalía de Miami-Dade comenzó una investigación de su organización y algo más peligroso, se puso en contacto con la lista de secuaces que la conectaban con “Rivi”, su antiguo lugarteniente. Cuando ‘‘la Madrina’’ escuchó que su más cercano seguidor estaba a punto de traicionarla, tuvo un ataque de nervios. Durante una visita en prisión en 1995, Griselda le dijo a Cosby, “tenemos que luchar contra esos hijos de perra en la corte”. Blanco temía que no la dejaran en paz nunca: “Rivi’’ tiene suficiente información sucia en contra mía, para enterrarme por lo menos durante diez décadas”, gritó. Entonces sacó un pedazo de papel de un cuaderno de su brasier, donde se leía el mensaje JFK 5PM NYNY y se lo entregó a Cosby. “¿Qué significa esto?”, preguntó Cosby, intentando armar el tríptico mensaje. “Dixon sabrá qué hacer”, replicó Blanco refriéndose a su hijo mayor. Cosby presionó a Griselda para que le diera el verdadero contenido de la nota –con ‘‘Rivi’’ cantando y ella caminando sobre la cuerda floja, dudaba si involucrarse en un nuevo proyecto de ‘‘la Madrina’’–. “Voy a ir en contra de Kennedy”, le dijo Griselda. Cosby todavía se sentía confuso. “¡El hijo del presidente!”, gritó ‘‘la Madrina’’. “¿Es lo suficientemente descriptivo para ti Charles?”. Cosby se vio comprometido en el descarado plan de Blanco, pero un complot en contra de JFK Jr –en el cual Griselda le pagaría a los secuestradores cinco millones de dólares para capturar a John John y luego negociar con el clan Kennedy su liberación– era una verdadera locura. “Demonios, nos estamos extralimitando”, replicó Cosby. Griselda acusó a Cosby de deslealtad e incluso lo comparó con “Rivi”. Cosby terminó entregando la nota a Dixon.

Poco después, cuatro secuestradores colombianos contratados por Blanco aterrizaban en Nueva York en un vuelo comercial de Avianca. Cosby –que había viajado desde California para planear el golpe– les entregó varias pistolas de bajo calibre y con la promesa de cinco millones en efectivo de ‘‘la Madrina’’. El equipo de cuatro hombres se desplazó al barrio Tribeca, donde JFK Jr y su esposa Carolyn Bessette Kennedy vivían en un espacioso loft. Cuando los secuestradores llegaban a la residencia Kennedy, Cosby volaba nuevamente a California para tomar distancia de este insano complot. Los secuestradores no tuvieron mucha suerte para entrar en una de las más lujosas residencias de Manhattan y además no vieron la cara de JFK Jr afuera del edificio durante un tiempo. Un par de días después, finalmente, lo siguieron mientras salía a caminar con su perro y lo rodearon silenciosamente. Uno de los secuestradores se acercó lo suficiente para acariciar la cabeza del perro, pero no pudieron actuar, porque un carro de la policía pasó en ese preciso momento. El plan había fracasado.

Temeroso, Cosby comenzó alejarse de ‘‘la Madrina’’. Sin que ella lo supiera, detectives de la fiscalía de Miami Dade estaban tras Cosby. Exhausto de los días de trabajar con Griselda, voló a la Florida y testificó en el caso en su contra. Cosby ofreció información que permitió identificar la riqueza y las ganancias de cuatro sicarios colombianos viajaron a nueva york, contratados por griselda, para secuestrar a john john y caminaron con él por el barrio donde vivía.

La organización de ‘‘la Madrina’’ –“yo conté que ella estaba haciendo dos millones de dólares mensuales, cuando en realidad estaba haciendo cincuenta veces más”– pero con “Rivi” en su bolsillo, los detectives ya tenían asegurada la permanencia de Blanco en la cárcel. En julio de 1995 fue acusada por la oficina del fiscal del condado de Miami Dade, de tres muertes.

Increíblemente la sentencia se suspendió por un escándalo. Después de su deposición, Cosby aseguró que había tenido sexo con una de las secretarias de la oficina del fiscal. Lo que era peor, la misma secretaria se encontraba envuelta en una larga relación de sexo telefónico con ‘‘Rivi’’. En esencia, era un tecnicismo, pero en 1998 –después de haber desacreditado a los dos principales testigos de la fiscalía– el caso en contra de Blanco colapsó. En junio de 2004 ‘‘la Madrina’’ fue dejada en libertad y deportada a Colombia, a pesar de que los prospectos de libertad en su tierra natal no eran promisorios. “Si yo fuera deportada nuevamente a mi país, donde mis hijos fueron abatidos, tampoco me hubiera sentido muy a gusto”, dijo Palombo al Miami Herald en su momento. En efecto se creyó que en Colombia, los días de Griselda Blanco estaban contados. Con tantos enemigos haciendo fila para anotar un golpe contra ella y tanto dinero fácil, se creía que la ‘‘Viuda Negra’’ estaría muerta en cuestión de días.

A finales del verano de 2007, un año después que el documental Jinetes de la Cocaína hiciera su debut, Alfred Spellman recibió un e-mail que se titulaba “mira lo que encontré”. En el archivo adjunto había una foto de Blanco, tomada con un teléfono celular, en el aeropuerto de Bogotá en mayo de 2007. Para la sorpresa de Palombo, en la foto Griselda se ve a salvo, tranquila y más viva que nunca. “Ella, había guardado mucho dinero que nunca fue identificado en diferentes bancos”, explica el detective. “Y nadie ha ido tras ella porque han pasado más de veinte años desde que hizo a su último enemigo”. La mujer en la foto difícilmente se parecía a la legendaria ‘‘Viuda Negra’’. Si se hacen cuentas Blanco ha estado alejada del juego de la cocaína por más de una década y vive tranquilamente en Bogotá. Sin su maquillaje, su pelo ondulado y sus vestidos de diseñador, a la edad de 65 años ‘‘la Madrina’’ se ve más como una adorable abuelita. Pero sus ojos permanecen fríos y si uno mira dentro de ellos, es posible observar a la mujer responsable de más de doscientas muertes, la que salió de las barriadas pobres de Colombia y que llegó hasta el pináculo del crimen organizado del mundo, quien mató tres maridos y sacrificó a tres hijos por su ambición sin límites. En su cara, cuando fija su mirada penetrante en el lente, sólo aparece una sonrisa tonta, la sonrisa para las cámaras, que parece decir: “Yo jugué el juego y todavía estoy acá. Eso significa que gané”.

Charles Cosby’s inviting nature bears the classic sign of a salesman. He’s a skilled storyteller who speaks with a hint of hyperbole, which can occasionally trigger a “you’re being hustled” uneasiness. But Cosby’s salesman-like demeanor is understandable. It’s easy to seem outlandish when recounting the graphic tales of Griselda Blanco.

In the recently released documentary Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin’ With the Godmother, Cosby shares his experience as an associate of famed cocaine distributor Griselda Blanco, a former Colombian drug lord known more for her insatiable bloodlust than her potent product. Though the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys explored several facets of the rampant drug trade in Miami during the 1980s, it was Blanco’s reported viciousness that sparked word-of-mouth for the heavily-bootlegged film.

“When we started meeting celebrities like Janet Jackson or Pharrell, the only thing people could ever talk about was The Godmother,” says the film’s director/producer Billy Corben. “We knew right away that there was more of this story to tell.”

Blanco’s progression from child prostitute to cocaine wholesalers is an intriguing story. She entered the drug trade in Colombia, emigrated to the United States, and then developed a reputation as a woman more interesting in acquiring conflict than cash.

Corben discovered “the best way to tell that story” in Charles Cosby, Blanco’s former lover and business representative. A dark-skinned black male fond of tightly cropped hair and impeccably-pressed casual attire, Cosby grew up in a working class section of Oakland, California, embracing the role of neighborhood menace at an early age. His childhood mischief later turned into crack cooking and peddling as a teen. In his early twenties, he graduated to a completely different level of the drug trade once he met The Godmother, which gave him a wealth of inside information that few sources can match.

“I was basically appointed as the head of her organization,” Cosby says during a conference call with Corben. “I became the Head Honcho, if you will. She had operations in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles, and I became heavily involved in all them. A lot of the guys who had been with her longer resented that, but I didn’t care because they didn’t matter. I was the one with Griselda.”

Corben first learned of Cosby during production of Cocaine Cowboys. As he and other members of the Rakontur production team sifted through a mountain of case files at the Miami-Dade Police Department, they discovered a series of photos taken of Blanco and a then unknown young black male. The hair and clothing styles were dead giveaways that the photos were taken in the ’90s, which meant the story behind these images fell outside of their wild ’80s scope.

Months later, as Cosby conducted research for his memoirs, also titled Hustling With the Godmother, he stumbled across the Cocaine Cowboys DVD and saw his face flash on-screen. He soon contacted the film’s creators, who invited him to appear in the DVD bonus features. But Corben and company quickly recognized that the Oakland native had a story too compelling for a 15-minute featurette. Hustling With the Godmother had stumbled into its first stage of production.

“There’s really no better way to tell this story because Cosby gets involved with Griselda right at the moment [Cocaine Cowboys] ends,” Corben explains.

Cosby’s road to crime doc stardom began when he developed an infatuation with Blanco in 1991. After seeing a news report on her arrest, he became enamored by the seemingly demure woman accused of devilish acts.

“The media painted her as this homicidal maniac – a cocaine queen,” Cosby says of his first impression. “I wrote her a letter of admiration just stating how much I respected her power. She answered back and we became close that way.”

One letter turned into a long written correspondence, which eventually led to daily phone calls. Cosby even kept a video diary of his feelings to send to Blanco when he couldn’t be with her. The exchange lasted for nearly 10 months until Cosby’s probation ended, allowing him to visit Blanco in prison. Despite their 25-year age difference, the drug dealer and the cocaine czar began a sexual relationship almost immediately.

“[Our age difference] didn’t affect my decision to pursue a relationship with her at all,” Cosby says. Upon Corben’s suggestion that Blanco’s power may have been alluring, he adds, “You always see in the movies these mob figures running things, but this was a woman who had the other inmates and even the guards afraid of her. To see a female inmate wield as much power as Griselda Blanco did, it was intoxicating… Plus, I’m [adventurous], so this was my Fuji.”

Like Blanco’s previous relationships with men, business and pleasure were inseparably intertwined in her dealings with Cosby. She absorbed her lover, a relatively small-time dealer, into one of the largest drug operations in the world. But The Godmother made it clear to him that she remained the gatekeeper to his newly expanded world.

“Although I was a millionaire, I was a puppet under her control,” Cosby says. “She wields that kind of control over everyone in her life. It’s established that she’s the final word on anything. It’s the Griselda Blanco show and what she says goes.”

Blanco’s control still affects many to this day. Years after the U.S. government jailed her and then deported her to Colombia, she is so feared that a number of people contacted to appear in the Cowboys franchise have steadfastly refused.

“There were people at the state attorney’s office who were intimately involved in the case who were frightened even today about getting involved with Griselda or [hitman] Rivi Ayala,” Corben reveals. “When you have an organization like Griselda had, just because the head guy is out of the picture doesn’t mean the whole thing shuts down. It’s the same way the head of a corporation can go to jail and the company still operates. Well, Griselda ran her cocaine business like a $50 million dollar corporation from her prison cell with Charles’ help.”

Hustling With the Godmother centers on this relationship between Cosby and Blanco. The jet-setting and shootout-heavy pursuit of money follows the original Cocaine Cowboys lead, but that is largely where the similarities cease. While its predecessor riveted audiences with its hell-in-paradise storyline covering the vast effects of the Miami drug trade, Cocaine Cowboys II is a focused account of the Blanco-Cosby alliance.

“The first movie is a big, broad epic tale,” Corben explains. “We set out to tell the story of Miami and we used microstories to create a macrostory… CC II is more along the lines of American Gangster [click to read] where you have the story of two compelling figures like Denzel and Russell Crowe. In this case you have Charles Cosby and Griselda Blanco. The first Cocaine Cowboys was like a TV series with lots of characters and adventures. CC II is a motion picture.”

However, this motion picture will not be seen in theaters. Hustlin’ has been released as a straight-to-DVD film in an effort to combat the rampant bootlegging and limited availability that bogged the theatre take of Cocaine Cowboys.

“We wasted all that fucking money with the theatrical release of the first movie,” Corben laments. “It only ever came out on 12 screens in the country and we could never meet the demand that way. What are people supposed to do – drive to the next state to see a movie? No. The good thing about it was that people don’t bootleg crap; they bootleg what they want to see. People want to see CCII, so we have to get it to them as quickly as possible.”

Perhaps the most glaring contrast between the two Cowboys volumes is the introduction of romance. Photographs, love letters, and video and audio tapes Cosby has kept show a softer side of the “Black Widow.” One doesn’t expect such tenderness from a woman whose legend is supposed to be exceeded only by her callousness. After all, this is a woman angered that one of her hitmen murdered Alfredo Lorenzo and his wife but chose not to kill the couple’s young children.

Yet, this is the woman that Cosby – and much of the world – love and embrace. Though the general public often vilifies criminals, they are just as likely to express fascination or even admiration for these same individuals. Blanco and the Cocaine Cowboys franchise have joined the ranks of other villains-turned-heroes.

“This goes back to the legend of Robin Hood and the wild, wild west,” Corben says. “You always have this fascination with bandits and bad guys, and there’s always been this tendency to turn these people into folk heroes. You look at any decade or time period in history and you can find legendary stories about these characters.”

Cosby adds, “There’s a bad guy in all of us.[That’s why] you have your Godfathers and your Scarfaces and New Jack City or Menace to Society. Deep down, everybody wants to root for the criminal to walk off into the sunset with his riches in tact.”

The Hustlin’ theme song even refers to Cosby as “The Real Scarface,” a nod that he will go down as another bad guy legend of the cocaine trade. But his legacy is unlikely to eclipse that of Blanco, who left a brutal impression on cocaine growers, distributors, dealers, and even the average citizen whose only dealings with her are watching her story on-screen.

According to Cosby, Blanco is not entirely happy with this “Murderous Madam” portrayal. Michael Corleone Sepulveda, Blanco’s youngest son, says that his mother is satisfied with the Cowboys films. However, she is upset that the video empire led to her grandchildren discovering that abuela once brought carnage and death to two continents.

“I can understand Griselda being upset about how her grandkids see her, but there are real victims here,” Corben says. “I received a message on MySpace from one of the daughters of Alfredo Lorenzo. This girl watched the movie in theaters and had to see her parents bloody, dead bodies on a 30-foot screen…I think less about what Griselda thinks about these movies and more of what her victims think.”

Still, Corben recognizes the powerful mystique that surrounds Griselda Blanco.

“Certainly I’m relieved that she liked the Cocaine Cowboys movies,” he half-jokingly confesses. “I’d hate to think what would happen if she didn’t.”