IS THIS BASED ON THE LIFE OF GRISELDA BLANCO?

Telemundo says La Reina del Sur is based on the best-selling book of the same name by author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. He wrote it in 2002.

Copied from his website:
A global bestseller, he is one of the most admired and widely read authors in the world. And his stunning new novel is his best yet.

A remarkable tale, The Queen of the South spans continents, from the dusty streets of Mexico to the sparkling waters off the coast of Morocco, to Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar. A sweeping story set to the irresistible beat of the drug smugglers' ballads, it encompasses sensuality and cruelty, love and betrayal, as its heroine's story unfolds.

Teresa Mendoza's boyfriend is a drug smuggler who the narcos of Sinaloa, Mexico, call "the king of the short runway," because he can get a plane full of coke off the ground in three hundred yards. But in a ruthless business, life can be short, and Teresa even has a special cell phone that Guero gave her along with a dark warning. If that phone rings, it means he's dead, and she'd better run, because they're coming for her next.

Then the call comes.

I don't believe that this was based on Griselda. Griselda was a "capo" of her own with the support of the main suppliers. Perez Reverete for some reason found out about some novels from the Culiacan drug trade from local writers and followed through, with his already insightful book "Club Dumas" based on the Dumas novels(son & father) I believe that it was easily adaptable a few switches here and there. I believe that Griselda would have made a much better, realistic and dangerous character to write about, some that are still alive may believe that i"the story 'could go to far".

No, i don't think so!

Prostitute: What the *beep* are you doing?
Johnny: I'm gonna kill a bunch of people.

Most critics and even the writer of her biography agree that it's inspired by the life of drug queenpin, Sandra Avila Bertran. Bertran is a Mexican drug dealer who rose up the ranks to be dubbed "Queen of the Pacific". She's also known for being very attractive/sexy. Like the protagonist, Teresa Mendoza, she married twice, both drug dealers, and both were killed. Lots of other similarities, just google her.

The soap opera based in Griselda is "La Vuida Negra", which is now on the 2nd season

No it's not. La Viuda Negra is. It's on Netflix. It's pretty good.