
The Netflix series Griselda portrays the life of Griselda Blanco, one of the first and most violent Colombian drug smugglers in the 1970s and 80s. Blanco was known as the Cocaine Godmother and was responsible for numerous murders, including those of her husbands and boyfriends. The series depicts Blanco's rivalry with fellow drug trafficker, Papo Mejia, who challenges her efforts to dominate the Miami drug scene. In the series, Mejia is killed in an airport, but was he killed in the airport in real life?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Papo's full name | Papo Mejia |
| Papo's profession | Drug dealer, trafficker, and enforcer |
| Papo's fate in the Netflix series | Killed by Griselda Blanco |
| Papo's fate in real life | Survived an assassination attempt by Griselda Blanco |
| Location of the assassination attempt | Miami International Airport |
| Weapon used in the attempt | Vintage World War II bayonet |
| Person hired to carry out the attempt | Miguel Perez |
| Current status of Papo | Arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to prison |
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What You'll Learn
- Papo Mejia was a primary rival of Griselda Blanco in the Miami drug trade
- Griselda tried to have Papo killed at Miami International Airport
- Griselda sent Miguel Perez to stab Papo with a bayonet at the airport
- Papo survived the attack and was later arrested and sent to prison
- Papo was eventually indicted, making him a DEA fugitive while he was in Colombia

Papo Mejia was a primary rival of Griselda Blanco in the Miami drug trade
Papo Mejia was a Colombian drug dealer who moved to Miami, USA, and established a strong network of drug trafficking. He was a primary rival of Griselda Blanco in the Miami drug trade in the early 1980s. Griselda, also known as the "Cocaine Godmother" and "Black Widow", was a ruthless killer who laid the foundation of her gang, Los Pistoleros, in Miami. She had an itch for power and was infamous for killing her boyfriends and husbands.
Papo Mejia's rivalry with Griselda Blanco began when she attempted to make a move on his territory. He was the cocaine supplier for Amilcar when Griselda tried to intrude on his territory. Papo did not take kindly to her intrusion and attempted to shut her down, but he was resisted and couldn't do anything about it. After Amilcar's arrest, Papo took control of the operation and completely pushed Griselda out, starting a war between the two.
Griselda made several unsuccessful attempts on Papo's life. She targeted his family, and her men killed his father in a shopping mall. She also sent a man named Miguel Perez to stab him with a 12-inch bayonet at the Miami airport, but Papo survived this attack as well. In retaliation, Papo attacked Griselda's house and beheaded one of her closest friends and the man who killed his father.
Papo was eventually arrested by the DEA and sentenced to thirty years in prison. He was released from prison in 2000 and disappeared without a trace. His whereabouts remain unknown, with strong rumors of his death circulating.
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Griselda tried to have Papo killed at Miami International Airport
Griselda Blanco, also known as the "Cocaine Godmother" or the "Black Widow", was one of the most violent Colombian drug smugglers in the 1970s and 80s. She was infamous for killing her boyfriends and husbands and was ruthless in her pursuit of power.
One of her primary rivals in the Miami drug trade was Papo Mejia. Papo was a former enforcer for Griselda who left her gang to start his own, an act of betrayal that Griselda despised. She never forgave those who betrayed her, and so she targeted Papo later in life. Griselda made several attempts on Papo's life, including sending a hitman to cut off his head and the heads of his family members, and blowing up his father's house.
One of Griselda's most gruesome attempts on Papo's life occurred at Miami International Airport. She had learned that Papo was returning from Colombia, where he had been battling with some of her hitmen, and so she sent a man named Miguel Perez to kill him as he came through customs. Griselda provided Miguel with a vintage World War II bayonet and instructed him to stab Papo like a pig. Miguel stabbed Papo multiple times in the neck, chest, and stomach, but somehow, Papo survived the attack.
Papo's survival of the airport attack did not end Griselda's attempts on his life. She later sent one of her men to slice his head off, mirroring the way he had beheaded one of her closest friends and the man who killed his father. However, this attempt also failed, and Papo was eventually arrested and sentenced to thirty years in prison.
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Griselda sent Miguel Perez to stab Papo with a bayonet at the airport
Griselda Blanco, also known as the "Cocaine Godmother", was one of the first and most violent Colombian drug smugglers in the 1970s and 80s. She was notorious for her violent methods, including the execution-style killing of her victims. Griselda was also known to target the families of her rivals, as in the case of Papo Mejia.
Papo Mejia was one of Griselda's primary rivals in the Miami drug trade. He was a drug trafficker who challenged Griselda's efforts to become the "Godmother" of the Miami drug scene. In retaliation, Griselda targeted Papo's family, and her men killed three of his family members. Papo responded by attacking Griselda's house and beheading one of her closest friends and the man who had killed his father.
Griselda then sent a hitman, Miguel Perez, to stab Papo with a bayonet at the Miami International Airport as he was coming through customs. Griselda's reasoning, according to witnesses, was that she wanted Papo to be stabbed "like a pig". Papo was stabbed multiple times, including in the neck, chest, and stomach, but he survived the attack.
Five months after the attack, Papo was arrested and put on trial in Tucson, Arizona. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison and special parole for life. Despite Griselda's attempts on his life, sources suggest that Papo outlived her. Griselda was shot and killed by an unidentified gunman in Medellin, Colombia in 2012.
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Papo survived the attack and was later arrested and sent to prison
The notorious Colombian drug smuggler Griselda Blanco was one of the first and most violent drug lords in the 1970s and 80s. She was known as the "Cocaine Godmother" and was responsible for numerous murders, including those of her boyfriends and husbands. Griselda's rise to power in Miami led to a violent struggle for control of the drug trade, with one of her most prominent enemies being Papo Mejia.
Papo Mejia was a rival drug trafficker who challenged Griselda's efforts to dominate the Miami drug scene. He was a primary rival and a former enforcer for Griselda, who left her gang to start his own. This betrayal, something Griselda despised, led her to target him and his family. Griselda made several unsuccessful attempts on Papo's life, including a well-known incident at Miami International Airport.
Griselda hired an assassin, Miguel Perez, to stab Papo with a vintage World War II bayonet as he came through customs. She allegedly wanted him stabbed "like a pig". Despite being stabbed multiple times in the neck, chest, and stomach, Papo survived the attack. However, his survival led to him becoming a target of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Operation Hun.
Five months after the attack, Papo was arrested and put on trial in Tucson, Arizona. The former DEA agent, Michael Levine, testified against him, providing significant evidence. As a result, Papo was sentenced to thirty years in prison and special parole for life.
While Papo survived Griselda's attempts on his life, she was ultimately murdered in 2012 in Medellin, Colombia, by an unidentified gunman.
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Papo was eventually indicted, making him a DEA fugitive while he was in Colombia
The rivalry between Griselda Blanco and Papo Mejia is well-documented. Blanco, also known as the "Cocaine Godmother", was one of the most violent Colombian drug smugglers in the 1970s and 80s. She was shot dead in 2012 in Medellin, Colombia, by an unidentified gunman.
Papo Mejia was one of Griselda Blanco's primary rivals in the Miami drug trade. He was a former enforcer for Griselda, but he decided to walk out of the gang and start his own, which she despised. Griselda made several unsuccessful attempts on Papo's life. One of the most famous attempts occurred at the Miami International Airport. Griselda hired a man named Miguel Perez to stab Papo with a vintage World War II bayonet as he was coming through customs. She wanted him to be stabbed "like a pig". Papo survived this attack, but he was then indicted, making him a DEA fugitive while he was in Colombia.
Five months after surviving the attack by Miguel Perez, Papo was put on trial in Tucson, Arizona. Michael Levine, a former DEA agent and author of 'The Big White Lie', testified during the trial against Papo with significant evidence. At the end of the trial, Papo was sentenced to thirty years in prison and special parole for life.
Papo's father was killed in the Midway shopping mall by some of Griselda's men. Papo's father's death was one of the starting points of the "Cocaine Cowboy Wars" of the early 1980s. Griselda also attempted to kill Papo in Las Palmas, Medellin, Colombia, by sending her hitman Jorge "Rivi" Ayala-Rivera and her son Osvaldo to throw a grenade at him, but Papo managed to escape.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Papo Mejia survived the attack at Miami International Airport. Griselda Blanco had sent a man named Miguel Perez to stab him with a 12-inch vintage World War II bayonet as he came through customs.
No, despite her attempts, Griselda Blanco did not succeed in killing her rival, Papo Mejia.
Five months after the attack, Papo was put on trial in Tucson, Arizona, and sentenced to thirty years in prison and special parole for life.











































