Jorge Ayala-Rivera was born in Cali, Colombia, but raised in Chicago, Illinois, after his family immigrated to the United States. As a bilingual speaker fluent in Spanish and English, he was well-suited to navigate both American and Latin criminal circles. Known for his distinctive high-pitched voice, Ayala initially worked as a car mechanic at General Motors with his father before slipping into criminal activity.

In his early years, Ayala got involved in auto theft and facilitated illegal crossings for undocumented immigrants. His connections in the underworld grew stronger as he moved between cities and developed a reputation for being both fearless and efficient. By 1979, he had relocated to Miami to deliver firearms and decided to stay, finding a lucrative niche as a debt collector and enforcer.

His natural ability to intimidate, combined with his loyalty and bilingual skills, eventually caught the attention of the Medellín Cartel and its infamous leader Griselda Blanco. Ayala rose through the ranks to become her most trusted hitman and was often referred to as her top enforcer. His younger brother Alonso also worked under Blanco. Together, they helped establish a reign of terror during the height of the Miami Drug War, where violence and murder were tools of the trade.

Ayala is confirmed to have carried out three murders and is suspected of committing over 30 more during the early 1980s in Miami. Working for Griselda Blanco, he orchestrated and executed hits on her rivals, associates, and others who defied her orders.

One of his most infamous missions took place on February 6, 1982, when he and fellow hitman Miguelito Pérez attempted to assassinate Jesús "Chucho" Castro, a former associate of Blanco. They targeted Castro at a red light using a silenced machine gun in a drive-by shooting. However, the bullets missed Castro and tragically killed his two-year-old son, Johnny Castro, who was in the car. Ayala was charged with Johnny’s murder in 1988, years after the incident.

Another brutal killing ordered by Blanco occurred on May 26, 1982, when Ayala and his crew murdered married drug-dealers Alfredo and Grizel Lorenzo in their South Miami home over a debt related to an unpaid cocaine shipment. According to Ayala, Blanco originally wanted everyone in the house—including the children—killed, but he spared the kids.

Ayala also claimed to have murdered 11 members of Luis Mejia’s gang in New York City in 1981 and killed Mejia’s father, Octavio, in Miami that same year. In one chilling confession, he said he killed a man in front of Blanco’s three-year-old son, Michael, for a $50,000 fee.

In 1988, Ayala was arrested in Chicago for a bank robbery. During the investigation, authorities realized he was “Riverita,” the cartel assassin they had been hunting. He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Griselda Blanco in exchange for a plea deal.

However, the prosecution’s case against Blanco collapsed when Ayala became involved in a phone sex scandal with secretaries from the state attorney’s office, undermining his credibility. As a result, charges against Blanco were dismissed.

In 1993, Ayala pleaded guilty to three murders and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years. He remains incarcerated in Florida. If released, he faces deportation to Colombia.