via Metromix
The narrator of ‘Cocaine Cowboys 2′ discusses his drug-dealing past and the whereabouts of the real-life Michael Corleone
By John Hood
Special to Metromix
In 2006, Miami filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman released “Cocaine Cowboys,” a bullet-riddled chronicle of the days when South Florida was under the thumb—and the gun—of the drug trade. Directed by Corben and co-produced by Spellman, who together run the production company Rakontur, the daring documentary recounted what it was like when the region was awash in blood and money. Now, the Rakontur boys are back with a sequel that’s every bit as violent and captivating as its predecessor.
Released this week on DVD, “Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ With the Godmother” highlights the cold, hard life of Griselda Blanco, the billionaire cocaine queenpin some people consider responsible for establishing the drug trade in the United States. As ruthless as she was rich, the Colombian-born Blanco killed at will, and somehow managed not to get herself murdered along the way.
The film is narrated by Charles Cosby, an upwardly mobile Oakland, Calif., crack dealer who parlayed a jailhouse affair with The Godmother into a multimillion-dollar drug business so robust it earned him a central spot in her life. Although Blanco’s exploits are the focus of “Cocaine Cowboys 2,” the brash, bold and articulate Cosby steals the show.
City Link Metromix.com interviewed the former gangster last week before the movie’s premiere in Miami Beach.
How come you’re not dead?
I’m not dead because I knew when to hold my cards [and] I knew when to fold my cards. I also saw all the pitfalls that were gobbling up other drug dealers, so I let their demise—for lack of a better word—be my guide. If they did their thing a certain way and they failed at it, I made sure I steered clear of that.
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