The cocaine wars in Miami during the 1970s and 1980s were marked by wild-west-style shootouts, as rival factions competed for control of the lucrative drug trade.
One of the most notorious incidents occurred on July 11, 1979, at Crown Liquors in Dadeland Mall, where a fatal shootout with submachine guns took place in broad daylight.
The victims were a reputed narcotrafficker from Medellin, and his bodyguard. Detectives believed this shooting was part of a pattern of tit-for-tat killings, with Griselda Blanco Restrepo, a lieutenant of Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel, reportedly implicated in the violence.
Blanco was known for her then innovative smuggling methods, such as hiding cocaine in women’s lingerie.
These violent incidents, including another high-speed machine gun shootout on the Turnpike on May 20, 1979, led to a climate of fear and paranoia among Miami-Dade residents.
Stay up to date: Click here for more news and videos
Discover more from Your Assignment Editor
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
