Call her “The Godmother of Cocaine” or “The Black Widow” or just Griselda Blanco. No matter where you know her from or what her name is, what really stands out about her is everything she did as a drug trafficking leader whose story was portrayed in a television series is available on Netflix and you can see that all over the world.
The criminal life of the Colombian, who lived in Miami, where she led a drug trafficking gang, took place in a completely different context than it does now. And it all takes place in the 70s, a time when women were despised in society because men treated them as inferior beings.
In this scenario, “Griselda” shows us how this woman was able to escape justice for many reasons. One of them, or perhaps the most important, is that the authorities did not believe that a woman could be capable of being at the head of such an aggressive criminal network usually led by men.
It appears there The character of June Hawkins, a police officer who set her sights on Griselda Blanco and believed she was the one behind everything. Like the drug dealer, she was despised by her work colleagues – most of whom were men – and therefore apparently felt identified.
Although this role played a key role in fiction in the series starring Sofía Vergara, many wonder whether this woman actually existed, because when a true story is told, the directors and managers of the production generally add or omit some Details, including some characters.
For this reason, in this note we will go into more detail about everything that revolves around June Hawkins, a woman who tipped the scales in one of the most notorious cases of that time and who is regaining prominence thanks to Netflix.
Juliana Aidén Martínez as June Hawkins, a police officer in “Griselda” (Photo: Netflix)
WHO IS JUNE HAWKINS?
The first thing to note is that June Hawkins is a person who actually exists and has the same name, so nothing about her has changed. The American has Latin roots because her mother is Cuban and so learned Spanish in addition to English, her native language. In other words: He speaks two languages fluently.
He studied criminal justice at Florida State University and became a police officer in 1975. He carried out work of this type for almost 30 years until he retired in 2004 after a long career in which he investigated Griselda Blanco, since she was the only police who believed that this woman was the leader of a dangerous drug trafficking network be.
She was an intelligence analyst and translator and became part of CENTAC's anti-narcotics task force. The fact that I spoke Spanish was very important during those years because I was able to understand witnesses who spoke that language or were running other errands that we have already seen in the series or that you will see if you just decide to do it to watch the six episodes.
She had many characteristics identical to Griselda Blanco and in one way or another she could have identified herself. For example, they both had Latin roots and were single mothers who struggled every day to achieve the best possible economic benefits and thus raise their children, although they differed in the way they did it, since they were literally on stood on opposite sides.
The actress Juliana Aidén Martínez, responsible for giving life to this character, has assured in repeated interviews that she contacted the real June Hawkins to find out more about her and thus give a well-deserved recognition with her interpretation of her outstanding police work .in front of the cameras.
June Hawkins while working as a police officer in Miami (Photo: Netflix)
WHERE IS JUNE HAWKINS NOW?
There is not much information about her at the moment, but according to information from several specialist sites, it has been revealed that she is enjoying her retirement at an estate in Tennessee. To all this we must add that his son followed in his footsteps and became a police officer and serves in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Regarding his age, Netflix confirms that he was born in 1950, so he is currently 73 years old. It is worth noting that she married Alan Singleton, with whom she worked hand in hand in the Griselda Blanco case.
It is also highlighted that in 2017 she gave an interview with the Radio Times Podcast in which she spoke about her time as a police officer and everything she endured in an environment surrounded by men who sometimes belittled, mocked and even tried to do so sexually harass her. Luckily, she changed that over the years and became a respected figure in her department.