The BMF
A drug trafficking and money laundering organization, the Black Mafia Family (BMF), was founded by two brothers in 1985, in Southwest Detroit, Michigan USA, and by the early 2000s, they’d established cocaine distribution sales across the US. Their lives and ‘business’ were the inspiration for a number of documentary series, however, the most successful was the biographic crime-drama “BMF”, which premiered on Starz in 2021. The producer of the show is Curtis Jackson, better known by his stage name 50 Cent, and the stars of the series are Da’Vinchi who plays Terry Flenory, and Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory, who plays his father, Big Meech.
Who is Big Meech?
Big Meech, whose real name is Demetrius Edward Flenory, was born on 21 June 1968, in Cleveland, Ohio USA. He’s aged 54 as of February 2023, holds American nationality and his ethnicity is African-American. He moved with his parents to Detroit when he was a baby.
He’s never been married, Lil Meech is his only son, and the mother of his son is Latarra Eutsey. However, in 2016, it was revealed that Big Meech has two daughters, one named Demetria with Yolanda Smith, known as YoYo, in 1988, and also Manessa Mia Hussey born in 1989, and whose mother is Telese Hussey.
Who is Terry Flenory?
Terry Lee Flenory, also known as ‘Southwest T’ was born on 10 January 1970, in Detroit, and recently celebrated his 53rd birthday. He was raised alongside his brother and their sister Nicole, by their parents Lucille and Charles. Their mother raised them in a Christian way, and once kicked Big Meech out of the house because he brought a gun home. Lucille and Charles were both hard-working people who struggled to earn enough to pay bills. They both tried to keep their children off the streets, and when their sons were arrested, they were cleared of any connection to their drug empire. Their father, Charles, died in 2017.
When it comes to Terry’s personal life, he was married to Tonesa Welch, often referred to as the first lady of the BMF. According to Empire BBK, Terry also has three children, two sons and one daughter – one of his sons is his stepson from Tonesa’s first marriage.
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The rise
Big Meech and Terry began selling cocaine bags during their high school days, back in the late ‘80s. As mentioned, by the early 2000s, their organization was distributing cocaine across the US, including the states such as Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, California and Florida, among others, and according to the federal investigation, the BMF had over 500 members nationwide. The BMF earned more than $270 million, and their organization was one of the largest domestic distribution empires.
Big Meech established a promotion agency and record label for hip-hop music called BMF Entertainment, which was associated with famous hip-hop artists such as Fabolous, Diddy, Young Jeezy, Jay-Z, Trina, and T.I, but was actually founded as a front organization for money laundering, and as an attempt to create a legal source of income.
Sometime in 2003 the brothers began to feud, and the organization experienced a schism. They rarely spoke to one another, and Terry moved to Los Angeles, California, where he ran his own organization, while Big Meech stayed in Atlanta, which was the main distribution center.
The fall
The police investigation of the BMF actually began in the early ‘90s, and in October 2003, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation was established, co-ordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Operations Division. The code name for this investigation was ‘Operation Motor City Mafia’.
The rise and fall of the Detroit Black Mafia Family (#BMF):
How the Flenory Brothers operated one of the largest urban dope-dealing conglomerates in history: pic.twitter.com/BhkPCBEx0g
— Detroit Griot (@JustCallmeBHunt) September 27, 2021
The BMF was not only connected to drug trafficking and money laundering, but were also connected to numerous acts of violence, allegedly committed by some members of the Black Mafia Family. Big Meech was arrested in November 2003 in connection with the shooting at Club Chaos, in Atlanta, when two men died, however, he was then shot in the buttocks, and claimed that he was running away from the gunfire – he was never indicted.
in a massive drug raid in October 2005, the DEA arrested over 30 members of the BMF, and seized over $3 million in cash, numerous weapons, and around 2.5 kilograms of cocaine.
The Flenory brothers were arrested in 2007 – Big Meech was captured in a home in a suburb outside Dallas, Texas, and Terry in Saint Louis, Missouri. The DEA arrested about 150 members of the BMF, the last remaining suspect in July 2009.
The two pleaded guilty to running a continuing criminal organization, which lasted from 2000 through 2005. In September 2008, Big Meech and Terry were both sentenced to 30 years jail.
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Where are they now?
Big Meech is serving out his sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution, Sheridan in Oregon, while Terry was released to home confinement on 5 May 2020. He was granted a compassionate release due to an effort from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to release some inmates to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.
Terry’s brother also sought his release under the same guidelines, but the federal judge rejected the move, as his prison records suggest that he’s continued to promote himself as a drug lord, and that he hasn’t changed. Big Meech’s disciplinary records include violations such as drug use, and possession of a cell phone and as well a weapon. He’s scheduled for release in May 2028.
How rich are Big Meech and Terry Flenory?
As the leaders of the Black Mafia Family, the Flenory brothers accumulated wealth and assets, which at the peak of their illegal business, were estimated at over $300 million. According to sources, estimates of their wealth as of February 2023 are that Terry Flenory aka Southwest T has over $40 million, while his brother Demetrius ‘Big Meech’ Flenory has over $100 million.
