The Netflix series about the life of Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco has been a success and little by little it has been awakening interest in people involved in the cartel empire that she formed in the United States, including Jorge 'Rivi' Ayala, a Colombian who was key to the expansion of the criminal organization in Florida.
Ayala was also born in Colombia, just like Griselda, but grew up in Chicago, so she spoke perfect English, Furthermore, he did not look Latino and, most importantly, he had a charming personality, which is why he became the perfect employee for the so-called queen of cocaine.
Over time The man earned the nickname “The Cocaine Cowboy,” and became famous for being a ruthless cartel hitman. However, according to the site All That's interesting, On many occasions he did not agree with Griselda Blanco's way of acting, since she was much more violent than him and attracted attention, so much so that she was finally arrested.
Ayala's criminal activity reportedly began when he helped illegal immigrants enter the United States. But over time he began smuggling more than just people. In 1979 he agreed to transport a truck full of weapons from Chicago to Miami. At that time the cartel in Florida was just forming and he found an opportunity, initially extorting people, but later he became a famous hitman for Griselda Blanco.
As told in the series, and in various media, The cocaine queen realized Ayala's potential, since he was a ruthless, cold and calculating man, but with great charisma who was not afraid to get his hands dirty.
The crimes of Jorge 'Rivi' Ayala were well known. In 1982, on the orders of Griselda Blanco, she killed a couple of drug traffickers, Alfredo and Grizel Lorenzo, because they had not paid for a shipment of cocaine. Ayala shot them to death in his south Miami home while his three children watched television in another room.
Another very notorious crime was against Jesús “Chucho” Castro, a cartel enforcer who was shot while driving for betraying the organization. Although he alone was injured, his two-year-old son did die, and Ayala later assured police that Griselda was happy because they had settled the debt.
The queen of cocaine formed a feared cartel in MIami.
How was “the cocaine cowboy” arrested?
In 1985, after years of investigation, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally arrested Griselda Blanco. in California, and a court sentenced her to 15 years in prison. At that point the police had only heard of Ayala and continued the case.
According to a report from Miami New Times, They had not been able to locate the man because they only had him registered with his nickname “Riverita”, which made the investigation difficult. Nevertheless, Jorge Ayala was arrested after robbing a bank in Chicago and agents quickly made the connection to Griselda Blanco.
Once arrested, “the cocaine cowboy” helped build a stronger case against Griselda. Ayala decided to speak, as he was facing the possibility of receiving the death penalty.so in 1993 he reached an agreement with prosecutors.
Ayala's story did not end there. In 1998, investigators discovered that he had been frequenting three secretaries in the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office with whom he had exchanged intimate calls, photographs, money and gifts.
Jorge Ayala was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years and has tried several times to obtain a lesser sentence, but so far his requests have been denied.
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