Carmen in Griselda: Was she a real person?

Is Carmen in Griselda a real person? Here's what viewers need to know after watching episode 5 of Griselda...

With Griselda having landed on Netflix last week, telling the story of the life of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, viewers have been keen to know all about the real story behind the new series starring Sofia Vergara - from what actually happened to Griselda to the true tales behind other key characters, including Carmen Gutierrez.

Carmen in Griselda was introduced to viewers in the very first episode of the show as Griselda Blanco's remaining friend who takes her in when she first moves to Miami with her children. Although she doesn't support Griselda when she discovers that she killed her husband to take over his drug empire, she eventually comes to support her and even helps her to sort plane tickets to smuggle drugs worn in bras worn by former prostitute colleagues in Colombia. 

In the series, Carmen is a constant friend of Griselda's and even worries about her health, warning her to lay off the crack pipe when she starts smoking a lot and even offering to help her get out of the drug game. 

However, their dynamic shifts when Marta asks the already paranoid Griselda if Carmen is spying on her, and Griselda becomes suspicious.

The Black Widow: The Life and Crimes of Griselda Blanco, America’s First Billionaire Drug Smuggler, £12.31 |Amazon 

Hugo Clark's biography about the real-life drug smuggler Griselda Blanco. Covering her life from her childhood to prostitution, to running a billion-dollar cocaine business in Miami.

In episode five, Carmen is approached by June Hawkins, the detective from the Miami PD who is investigating Griselda. June tells Carmen that the city records say that she is the tenant of the stash house which was holding cash and drugs, and she knows that she is helping Griselda launder money.

June encourages Carmen to talk to the police so she can get a deal and save herself from a long imprisonment. Carmen tells her sternly, "F**k Off, it's bulls**t." 

Carmen then runs to tell Griselda that she was offered a deal by the police so Griselda attacks her and chokes her in a frenzied state, only stopping when Dario pulls her off of Carmen. Trying to find the rat in her organisation Dario persuades Griselda that it isn't Carmen and she turns on Chucho.

Chucho punches Griselda's son Dixon when he shows up at his door looking for somewhere to hide a gun that he just shot several times in a nightclub after another man hit on his girlfriend. A very drugged-up Griselda decides Chucho must be the informant as he didn't help her son and he didn't attend her husband's birthday party. Rivi in Griselda is ordered to kill Chucho, but he misses (much to Griselda's sober relief) and instead accidentally shoots his two-year-old son Johnny who was asleep in the backseat. 

Carmen then decides that enough is enough. She decides to side with the DEA and the final scene of episode five shows her going to the police precinct to speak to the detectives and rat on her friend.

Who was the real Carmen?

Carmen is actually not a real person and is in fact an invented character for the series. However, the writers have said that her character is loosely based on real-life figures. 

The character Carmen Gutiérrez is likely based on Carmen Caban, who was referenced in the United States v Blanco legal case. The case reads, "At trial, the prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of Carmen Caban, a former drug dealer turned government witness. Caban testified at length about the operations between 1972 and 1975 of the cocaine importing ring in which Blanco allegedly participated." 

The case also mentions her sister Gloria Caban, who was not mentioned in the TV series but was likely merged with Carmen's character. In the book, Women Drug Traffickers: Mules, Bosses and Organized Crime by Elaine Carey, the author revealed that Gloria was the person to initially start working with Griselda in New York, and Carmen joined them later. She also noted that Carmen ran a stash house and was a distributor for Griselda during the height of her business.

Maria Gutierrez was another real person who likely inspired the character Carmen Gutierrez. Maria was a travel agent who worked with Griselda throughout her career, she later turned on her and became an informant. Maria was mentioned in Martha Soto’s biography, La Viua Negra (The Black Widow).

It is unknown what happened to any of these women following for the downfall of Griselda Blanco, but many of them took offers from police to avoid harsher punishment for their crimes.