(WSVN) - The Netflix series “Griselda” is about a woman who becomes “The Godmother” of the Miami drug empire, but the show is also shining a light on one of the first female detectives in Miami. 7’s Heather Walker shares her story in our 7 Spotlight.
Griselda Blanco was known as “The Black Widow” and “The Godmother.” She was responsible for creating one of the most profitable drug empires ever. Right here in Miami.
7News covered her court hearings back in the ’90s.
Judge, Sept. 1994: “Would you tell the lady, please, that she’s charged with first-degree murder?”
But until now, very few had heard of the woman who helped bring Griselda down: Metro-Dade Police Detective June Hawkins.
Actress Juliana Aidén Martinez is playing Hawkins in the Netflix series, “Griselda.”
Juliana Aidén Martinez: “I had never heard about someone from our community, a woman, protecting our community.”
Juliana now lives in Los Angeles but grew up in South Florida, and she got a chance to meet the now-retired sergeant as she prepared for her role.
Juliana Aidén Martinez: “She said, ‘A-ha, like Hialeah girl, you’re a Hialeah girl,’ and I was like, ‘You understand what that means,’ and she was like, ‘We’re going to get along great.'”
Juliana worked closely with Hawkins throughout the filming. She says it really helped because there were very few mentions of Hawkins in the news at that time.
Hawkins has stayed out of the spotlight even to this day, despite her major role in taking down Blanco.
Paul George, historian, HistoryMiami Museum: “Well, it’s amazing, because she brought down one of the biggest drug lords, you know, not only in the city, but in the area, in the whole hemisphere at that point.”
Paul George is a local historian. He says that at the time, many cops were paid off with cash and cocaine, but June stayed on the right side of the law.
Paul George: “It’s phenomenal. It’s like a cross between Saint Joan of Arc and Mother Teresa, somebody so noble as this, what was the most unlikely person to break up, to some degree, the most precocious of all the ranks.”
And it’s ironic that a single mom ended up taking down Miami’s biggest drug lord, who was also a woman.
Juliana Aidén Martinez: “It centers on this rise of these two women, saying like, ‘You’re going to respect me,’ and they rise in power, and it’s two sides of the same coin. June is an example of using your power and using your abilities to make a positive impact.”
An impact that is now being documented.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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