Blanco's former lover, Charles Cosby, recounted that, at the age of 11, she allegedly kidnapped, attempted to ransom, and ultimately shot a child from an upscale neighbourhood near her home.

[10][11] Blanco was a key figure in the establishment of the cocaine trade between Colombia and large North American cities like Miami and New York, as well as to dealers in California.

In 1964, after divorcing Trujillo, Blanco illegally entered the United States with fake documentation, under an assumed name; she would end up settling in Queens, New York, with her three children and second husband, Alberto Bravo, a cocaine smuggler for the Medellín Cartel.

However, nine years later in April 1975, Blanco was identified by authorities and indicted on federal drug conspiracy charges, along with thirty of her subordinates.

[13][14] On February 17, 1985, Blanco was arrested in her home by DEA agents and subsequently charged with conspiring to manufacture, import, and distribute cocaine.

The case went to trial in federal court in New York City, where she was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The prosecution made a deal with one of Blanco's most trusted hitmen, Jorge Ayala, who agreed to testify that Blanco had ordered him to carry out the killings; however, the case collapsed due to technicalities relating to a phone sex scandal between Ayala and two female secretaries employed at the state attorney's office.

[17] [18] In 2004, in light of her frail health, she was granted compassionate release from prison in the United States and deported back to Colombia.

[20] He appeared on a 2018 episode of the Investigation Discovery documentary series Evil Lives Here to recount his lonely childhood.