Was Carmen in Netflix's 'Griselda' a real person? The character seems to be based on several real women in the drug lord's life
- Netflix's "Griselda" adapts the life of drug lord Griselda Blanco.
- While some characters in the show were real people, others like Carmen Gutiérrez didn't actually exist.
Netflix's "Griselda" adapts the life of drug lord Griselda Blanco in 1970s and 1980s Miami, drawing from real events and featuring fictionalized versions of people who were actually a part of Blanco's story.
That includes, of course, Blanco herself, played by Sofia Vergara. Miami PD analyst June Hawkins was another character in the show, and the real Hawkins also consulted. Others, like Blanco's associate Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, had histories in the show that aligned with what actually happened to them in real life.
Some characters, however, are the product of more artistic license — even if they bear striking similarities to actual people in Blanco's life. One character in the show, Carmen Gutiérrez (Vanessa Ferlito), appears to be based on several women in Blanco's life who turned on her at some point.
Here's everything you need to know about how her character actually corresponds to real life.
In 'Griselda,' Carmen is one of Blanco's friends who turns on her
In the first episode of "Griselda," Blanco and her three sons stay with Carmen in Miami after fleeing Colombia. Carmen tells Blanco that she doesn't want Blanco to drag her back into the drug business, offering her a job at the travel agency she now runs.
Later in the series, however, Detective Hawkins confronts Carmen with evidence linking her company to one of Blanco's stash houses. Hawkins offers her a deal: Sell out Blanco, and she can help Carmen out with the potential legal trouble. Carmen turns her down.
Carmen returns to Blanco to tell her that June tried to turn her. However, Blanco reacts poorly, accusing her of being a mole, and then tries to choke her. Blanco's husband Dario stops her from killing Carmen, who runs away.
The next day, Carmen tells June that she'll take her offer.
Carmen appears to be based on several real women in Blanco's life
While Carmen Gutiérrez wasn't a real person, her storyline appears to draw from several people tied to Blanco: sisters Carmen and Gloria Cabán, and Maria Gutiérrez.
Carmen Cabán, according to a case summary from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was a former dealer who provided crucial testimony during Blanco's 1985 trial. Per UNODC, Cabán testified about Blanco's activities from 1972 to 1975. Blanco was found guilty on one count of conspiring to manufacture, import, and distribute cocaine in the United States and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In her book "Women Drug Traffickers: Mules, Bosses, and Organized Crime," Elaine Carey writes that Cabán's sister, Gloria, was a key witness in the 1985 trial. Gloria was adjacent to Blanco and then-husband Alberto Bravo's 1970s drug operation in New York City, Carey writes, and eventually began transporting money from New York to Colombia. Carmen was recruited to do the same. Both also worked as distributors for Blanco and Bravo in NYC, but later turned on Blanco and worked against her to help the Drug Enforcement Agency build a case.
Carey writes in "Women Drug Traffickers" that both Gloria and Carmen — whose real names were Amparo and Gilman Atehortua — received money from the DEA to cover monthly expenses. Per UNODC, Blanco's counsel questioned Carmen about her government agreement during Blanco's 1985 trial, but was prevented from cross-examining the sisters about their alleged involvement in a murder.
The show's Carmen also works as a travel agent, as did another woman in the real Griselda's life: The Independent reported that Maria Gutiérrez worked as Blanco's travel agent, and also became a DEA informant.