Black Mafia Family

Last updated

Black Mafia Family
MeechAndJBO.jpg
Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory (right, in green) and Chad "J-Bo" Brown
FoundedLate 1985; "BMF" acronym started to be used around 2000
Founding location Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Years active1985–present [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
TerritoryStates: Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Texas, Ohio
MembershipOver 500 [7]
ActivitiesDrug trafficking, money laundering
Allies Folk Nation (Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples, Black Gangsters, Insane Spanish Cobras, Maniac Latin Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, Gangster Sin City Boys, Simon City Royals, etc), Crips, Zoe Pound, etc.
Rivals People Nation (Cash Flow Posse, Latin Counts, Out Cold Gangsters, Vice Lords, Almighty Gaylords, Latin Kings, etc) Bloods, Aryan Brotherhood and other white supremacist gangs, etc.

The Black Mafia Family (BMF) is a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States. It was founded in 1985, in Southwest Detroit by brothers Demetrius Edward "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry Lee "Southwest Tee" Flenory. By 2000 it had established cocaine distribution sales throughout the United States through its Los Angeles-based drug source and direct links to Mexican drug cartels. [8] [9] The Black Mafia Family operated from two main hubs: one in Atlanta for distribution run by Demetrius Flenory and one in Los Angeles to handle incoming shipments from Mexico run by Terry Flenory. [10]

Contents

The Black Mafia Family under Demetrius Flenory entered the hip-hop music business as BMF Entertainment in the early 2000s as a front organization to launder money from cocaine sales and to legitimize itself. BMF Entertainment served as a promoter for several high-profile hip-hop artists, and as a record label for their sole artist Bleu DaVinci. Demetrius Flenory and the Black Mafia Family became famous in hip-hop culture for their highly extravagant lifestyles.

In 2005, the DEA indicted members of the Black Mafia Family, ultimately securing convictions by targeting the Flenory brothers under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute, and both were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. Prosecutors alleged the Black Mafia Family made over $270 million in the course of their operations. [7]

Flenory brothers

Demetrius Edward "Big Meech" Flenory Sr. (born June 21, 1968, in Detroit, Michigan) and his brother Terry Lee "Southwest Tee" Flenory (born January 10, 1970, in Detroit, Michigan) began selling $50 bags of cocaine on the streets of Detroit during their high school years in the late 1980s. [11] [12] Hence their original group was known as "50 Boyz". By 2000, the Flenory brothers had established a large organization overseeing multi-kilogram cocaine distribution sales in numerous U.S. states including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. [13] A two-year federal investigation of the Flenory organization estimated its nationwide membership at over 500.

Around 2003, the organization experienced a schism when the Flenory brothers began to feud, with Terry Flenory moving to Los Angeles to head his own organization, while Demetrius Flenory remained at the main distribution center in Atlanta. By 2003, the two had been involved in a major falling out and rarely spoke to one another. [13] In a conversation with his brothers caught by the DEA on wiretap, Terry discussed his worries that his brother Demetrius was bringing the wrong type of attention to their business with his excessive partying. By the time charges were filed against the Flenorys, the government had 900 pages of typed transcripts of wiretapped conversations from Terry's phone in a five-month period. [13]

In November 2007, the brothers pleaded guilty to running a continuing criminal enterprise. [14] In September 2008, both brothers were sentenced to 30 years in prison for running a nationwide cocaine-trafficking ring, which lasted from 2000 to 2005. [15] Demetrius Flenory served out his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Sheridan and was released on October 16, 2024. [16] Terry Flenory was released to home confinement on May 5, 2020, after being granted a compassionate release due to health ailments and an effort from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to release certain inmates in order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within federal prisons. Demetrius Flenory also sought his release under the same guidelines; however, a federal judge rejected the move, claiming it would be premature to authorize his release as his prison record suggests he has not changed and continues to promote himself as a drug kingpin, further stating his disciplinary record includes violations such as possession of a cell phone and weapons as well as drug use. [17]

BMF Entertainment

In the late 2000s, Demetrius Flenory established BMF Entertainment as a promotion agency and record label for hip-hop music. The Flenory brothers were already known to associate with numerous high-profile hip-hop artists including Sean Combs, Trina, T.I., Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and Fabolous. Demetrius founded BMF Entertainment as a front organization for money laundering the cash generated by the cocaine distribution network but was also an attempt to create a legitimate business and legal source of income. Around this time, the Flenory organization formally adopted the name "Black Mafia Family" after previously being unnamed.[ citation needed ]

In 2005, Bleu Da Vinci's album, World Is BMF's, was nominated for a Source Award. BMF appeared in numerous underground hip-hop DVD magazines, most notably several issues of S.M.A.C.K. and The Come Up. The organization's most highly visible appearance was in a full-length DVD produced by The Raw Report , which gave a detailed inside look at their movement. The DVD was featured in Vibe's cover article on BMF in May 2006. It received wide acclaim from DJs for the Soundsmith Productions produced song "Streets on Lock", [18] headed by BMF affiliate Bleu Davinci and featuring Fabolous and Young Jeezy. A music video [19] was later produced for the single, though it was never released to networks.

Creative Loafing senior editor Mara Shalhoup wrote a three-part series about the Black Mafia Family entitled Hip-Hop's Shadowy Empire, [20] which was the first in-depth report on the organization. Shalhoup's book on the organization, BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family, was published in March 2005.[ citation needed ]

Investigation

Operation Motor City Mafia

Lincoln Navigator stretch limo owned by BMF used to transport money and cocaine. LincolnlimoBMF.jpg
Lincoln Navigator stretch limo owned by BMF used to transport money and cocaine.
Hidden compartments inside the Lincoln limousine used to transport cocaine and money. Trap compartment inside limo owned by BMF - Black Mafia Family.jpg
Hidden compartments inside the Lincoln limousine used to transport cocaine and money.

Police investigation into the Black Mafia began sometime in the early 1990s, before the organization operated by Demetrius and Terry Flenory was named or reached peak distribution. The lead-up to the October 2005 indictments began with a series of large drug seizures and subsequent informant testimonies from BMF members. On October 28, 2003, a two-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation began, coordinated by the DEA's Special Operations Division and codenamed "Operation Motor City Mafia".

On April 11, 2004, BMF courier and high-level distributor Jabari Hayes was pulled over in Phelps County, Missouri along I-44 driving a 40-foot motor home,[ clarification needed ] supposedly for swerving over the fog line. Two suitcases containing approximately 95 kilograms of cocaine and 572 grams of marijuana were found in the back of the Range Rover after a K-9 unit alerted to drugs in the vehicle. [13]

In mid-September 2004, a wiretap on Rafael "Smurf" Allison, a low-level crack dealer in Atlanta, led an HIDTA task force to Decarlo Hoskins, a mid-level dealer. Hoskins informed them that he had grown up with two brothers, Omari McCree and Jeffrey Leahr, who were BMF members and able to supply multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine regularly. Wiretaps revealed that Omari McCree was a high-level distributor for the Flenory organization and was favored by Demetrius.

On November 5, 2004, Jeffrey Leahr was pulled over with his girlfriend on I-75 in Atlanta due to the wiretaps. In the back seat was a duffel bag containing 10 kilograms of cocaine. They were released later that day in an attempt by HIDTA to gather more information in regards to their supplier and the organization using wiretaps. McCree and Leahr, facing a large debt to BMF for the lost cocaine, went on the run. When picked up on June 8, 2005, Unknown signed a confidential-source agreement and described his role in BMF, naming Demetrius Flenory as the source of the cocaine. Chad "J-Bo" Brown, supplied him with cocaine on behalf of Demetrius. These events and a number of others formed the backbone of the government's case. During trial, the government's star witness was William "Doc" Marshall. [13]

Testimony given during various trials indicated the Flenory organization operated as follows: BMF operated five stash houses in the Atlanta area. Approximately every 10 days, vehicles would arrive with 100–150 kilograms of cocaine packed in secret compartments. Workers at the stash houses were paid to unload the drugs and store them. [21] Customers who ordered would call in and say they had their vehicle ready – meaning a transportation vehicle to put the narcotics in. Depending on the size of their order, they were directed to a particular stash house where they would pull in, go inside, and hand over money in $5,000 bundles. The cocaine was usually sold at $20,000 per kilogram. [21] The same vehicles would then be filled with cash (the proceeds from drug sales) to be sent back to the Mexican sources of supply. [22] Workers inside the stash houses had certain duties, such as counting bulk amounts of cash, usually in the millions. Other people were packaging the cocaine for customers. BMF also received drugs through large containers at the airport containing 100–150 kilograms of cocaine, which they picked up and delivered to stash houses. [21]

2005 raids and arrests

Money seized from the BMF by the Drug Enforcement Administration Encinomoneyseizure.jpg
Money seized from the BMF by the Drug Enforcement Administration

In October 2005, some 30 members of BMF were arrested in a massive drug raid orchestrated by the DEA. During these raids, the DEA seized $3 million in cash and assets, 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, and numerous weapons. [23] Prior to the October 2005 raids, the DEA had arrested 17 BMF members, seized 632 kilograms of cocaine, $5.3 million in cash, and $5.7 million in assets. They claimed BMF was responsible for moving over 2,500 kilograms of cocaine a month throughout the United States.

Demetrius Flenory and Terry Flenory were charged under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute, conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. Demetrius was captured in a large home in a suburb outside Dallas. Inside, police found a small amount of marijuana and a few MDMA pills. In a safe inside the house were several weapons, as well as multiple vehicles at the home. Terry was captured in St. Louis with small amounts of marijuana and weapons found throughout the house, which was also occupied by multiple people at the time of the arrest.

2006 indictments

On June 15, 2006, the U.S. Department of Treasury reported that 16 additional individuals had been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and money laundering charges under a second, superseding indictment, bringing the number of people charged in the case to 49. The list of accused included Jacob Arabo, popularly known as Jacob the Jeweler, a well-known celebrity jeweler in the hip-hop community. Arabo was charged with conspiracy to launder more than $270 million in illegally obtained funds. [24]

The Department of Justice also shed light on more of the group's alleged activities in the indictment papers, which included running drug money through various banks and money wiring services in an attempt to disguise its origin. The group had also been accused of obtaining several winning Michigan state lottery tickets from a third party, which they paid cash for, and then cashing in the tickets in an attempt to make the money appear legitimate. The indictment sought the forfeiture of "more than 30 pieces of jewelry, 13 residences, 35 vehicles including Lincoln Limousine, BMW's, Range Rovers, Aston-Martin, and Bentleys, numerous bank accounts, over $1.2 million in seized currency, and a money judgment totaling $270 million." [25]

2007 indictments (Atlanta)

Fleming "Ill" Daniels Flemingdaniels.jpg
Fleming "Ill" Daniels

On July 25, 2007, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia unveiled an indictment of 16 more members of the Black Mafia Family with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The indictment charged all defendants with participating in the nationwide cocaine distribution conspiracy, which carries a penalty of between 10 years and life in prison, and up to a $4 million fine. The indictments were seen as "shutting down the BMF's once-flourishing drug empire." [26] Eventually, all defendants pleaded guilty before trial except Fleming "Ill" Daniels.[ citation needed ]

Fleming Daniels, a top member of the Black Mafia Family drug ring, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking on December 17, 2008. The federal judge also fined Daniels $10,000 for taking part in the violent group. Daniels was the 16th defendant indicted in Atlanta on charges stemming from their role in the organization and the only defendant in the Atlanta indictments to go to trial, with 11 others already having pleaded guilty. [27] The government's case relied upon testimony from William "Doc" Marshall and Ralph Simms to convict Daniels. Daniels had not been caught with cocaine nor caught on wiretaps discussing drug business. The testimony from Marshall indicated that he had seen Daniels receive cocaine in the kilograms while he himself was picking up cocaine. [27] Daniels also awaited trial for the July 2004 murder of Rashannibal Drummond. On February 26, 2010, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years for voluntary manslaughter. His 20-year sentence will run concurrent to another 20-year sentence stemming from his role on BMF cocaine charges.

Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight, the rapper and sole artist of BMF Entertainment, was sentenced on October 30, 2008, to five years and four months in federal prison. McKnight claimed Flenory presented himself as being involved in the music industry and it was not until much later that he let him into the cocaine side of the business. [27] McKnight stated at sentencing that when he first met Demetrius Flenory, he did not show him "the other side of his world", in reference to the cocaine trafficking. McKnight was released in 2011 and returned to his music career. He and his younger brother Calico Jonez began the BMF tour. Calico Jonez, who had started Swishgang joined with McKnight to establish a BMF Swishgang. Jonez, who was known to have played a role in Soulja Boy's label SODMG, and gang ties to Long Beach California's Rolling 20s Crips began making music under the BMF Entertainment umbrella. McKnight is also a cousin of Ras Kass.

2009 and after

The last remaining suspect, Vernon Marcus Coleman, was arrested on July 17, 2009, in Atlanta. He was indicted in 2007 for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. [28] With this, the number of arrested BMF members rose to about 150. The federal government believes the 150 they have indicted and arrested account for the command and control structure, as well as other key figures in the organization, such as distributors, stash house operators, and transporters. [28]

Allegations of violence

Prior to Operation Motor City Mafia and shortly after its commencement, there were numerous acts of violence alleged to have been committed by BMF members: [21]

Jabari Hayes, an alleged member of the BMF who allegedly served as their courier and distributor, wrote the book Miles in the Life (2009) [29] and is also the executive producer of a 2017 documentary by the same name. BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family was released in 2012. The author is Mara Shalhoup, who wrote the first in-depth report on BMF for Creative Loafing in 2006. [30]

In 2010, American rapper Rick Ross released the song "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" with the title's acronym being in reference to the organization's name. The song's chorus also repeatedly mentions Demetrius Flenroy's alias, "Big Meech".

The 2012 documentary BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire explores the 14-year investigation. [31]

The documentary series Gangland covered the Black Mafia Family in its 87th episode.

In 2021, a drama television series called Black Mafia Family premiered on STARZ, produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Demetrius Flenory is played by his real-life son, Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory Jr.. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cali Cartel</span> Former Colombian drug cartel

The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela and José Santacruz Londoño. They broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellín associates in 1988, when Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera joined what became a four-man executive board that ran the cartel.

Alfonso Caruana is an Italian-Canadian crime boss and member of the Sicilian Mafia who was the head of the Sicilian Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan's branch in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Hoover</span> American mobster (born 1950)

Larry Hoover Sr is an American former gangster and street gang kingpin. He is the founder of the Chicago street gang, the Gangster Disciples.

Jossy Mehsen Mansur was the editor of the Papiamento-language newspaper Diario in Aruba. He wrote two dictionaries for the Papiamento language and a history of Aruba among other books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crack epidemic in the United States</span> Drug epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s

The crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States throughout the entirety of the 1980s and the early 1990s. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in American inner city neighborhoods, a resulting backlash in the form of tough on crime policies, and a massive spike in incarceration rates.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American organized crime emerged following the first and second large-scale migrations of African Americans from the Southern United States to major cities of the Northeast, Midwest, and later the West Coast. In many of these newly established communities and neighborhoods, criminal activities such as illegal gambling and speakeasies were seen in the post-World War I and Prohibition eras. Although the majority of these businesses in African-American neighborhoods were operated by African-Americans, it is often unclear the extent to which these operations were run independently of the larger criminal organizations of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hélmer Herrera</span> Colombian drug trafficker (1951-1998)

Francisco Hélmer Herrera Buitrago, also known as "Pacho" and "H7", was a Colombian drug trafficker, fourth in command in the Cali Cartel, and believed to be the son of Benjamín Herrera Zuleta.

A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Matthews (drug trafficker)</span> American drug trafficker

Frank Larry Matthews, also known as Black Caesar, Mark IV and Pee Wee, was an American drug trafficker and crime boss who sold heroin and cocaine throughout the eastern United States from 1965 to 1972. He operated in 21 states and supplied drug dealers throughout every region of the country. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ranks Matthews as one of the top ten drug traffickers in U.S. history and he is estimated to have had US$20 million in savings.

The Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute is a United States federal law that targets large-scale drug traffickers who are responsible for long-term and elaborate drug conspiracies. Unlike the RICO Act, which covers a wide range of organized crime enterprises, the CCE statute covers only major narcotics organizations. CCE is codified as Chapter 13 of Title 21 of the United States Code, 21 U.S.C. § 848. The statute makes it a federal crime to commit or conspire to commit a continuing series of felony violations of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 when such acts are taken in concert with five or more other persons. For conviction under the statute, the offender must have been an organizer, manager, or supervisor of the continuing operation and have obtained substantial income or resources from the drug violations.

Illegal drug trade in Venezuela is the practice of illegal drug trading in Venezuela. Venezuela has been a path to the United States for cocaine originating in Colombia, through Central America and Mexico and Caribbean countries such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. In the 2010s, Venezuela also gradually became a major producer of cocaine.

James Rosemond, often known as Jimmy Henchman or sometimes Jimmy Henchmen, is an American former entertainment record executive and convicted criminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)</span> 2010 single by Rick Ross featuring Styles P

"B.M.F. " is the second single from Rick Ross' fourth studio album Teflon Don. It features Styles P. It was produced by Lex Luger. The song was originally released as an unmastered version on Ross' promotional mixtape, the Albert Anastasia EP. The song was named as MTV News' #4 Song Of 2010.

Sabatino "Sammy" Nicolucci is an Italian-Canadian mobster linked to the Sicilian Rizzuto crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ediel López Falcón</span> Mexican drug lord

Ediel López Falcón, also known as La Muela or Metro 5, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He was the regional boss of Miguel Alemán and helped coordinate international drug trafficking shipments from South and Central America to Mexico and the U.S. His roles in the cartel were also to coordinate oil theft operations. In 2012, he was indicted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for drug trafficking activities. After fleeing Mexico to avoid gang-related violence, López Falcón was arrested in Texas during a sting operation in 2013. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2015. He is currently imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey. His expected release date is in 2029.

<i>BMF</i> (TV series) American crime drama television series

BMF is an American crime drama television series created by Randy Huggins, which follows the Black Mafia Family, a drug trafficking and money laundering organization. The series premiered on September 26, 2021, on Starz. After the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on January 6, 2023. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on March 1, 2024. On February 29, 2024, ahead of the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demetrius Flenory Jr.</span> American actor and rapper (born 2000)

Demetrius Edward Flenory Jr. is an American actor and rapper. He rose to fame portraying his father, Demetrius Flenory of Black Mafia Family, in 50 Cent's BMF series adaptation.

Craig Petties is an American convicted drug trafficker best known for the criminal empire he led in Memphis, Tennessee, from the mid-1990s to 2008, and for his connections to the Mexican drug cartel. The organization's prosecution was later described as the largest drug case in Memphis federal court history. Petties was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 at the age of 36.

<i>First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story</i> Biographical film by Vivica A. Fox

First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story is an American biographical crime drama film written by Gabrielle Collins and Tressa Azarel Smallwood and directed by Vivica A. Fox. The film stars Michelle Mitchenor as Tonesa Welch. The film follows Welch's rise from a teenager's mother to a drug dealer in Detroit, referred as "First Lady" of the notorious Black Mafia Family. The film also starring Tobias Truvillion, Leon, Jessica "Jess Hilarious" Moore, Faith Malonte, Tristan Fazekas and Kellie Shanygne Williams, while Tonesa Welch make a cameo appearance.

Abraham D. Juste also known as Da'Vinchi, is a Haitian-American actor. He is best known for his role as Darnell Hayes in the TV series All American, and he also appeared in eight episodes of Grown-ish between 2018 and 2019. In 2021, he started playing the character of Terry 'Southwest T' Flenory in the Starz series BMF.

References

  1. ↑ "DEA Deals Motor City Mafia a Knock-out Blow". Drug Enforcement Administration. October 28, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ "23 gang members arrested in crackdown" . Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Eastern District of Missouri | More than Two Dozen Arrested in Roundup of Members and Associates of the Black Mafia Family | United States Department of Justice". October 19, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Is BMF Bouncing Back? Recent Slaying in Gang's Hometown of Detroit Has Street Talking of Syndicate's Renewed Presence". January 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Eastern District of Missouri | Drug Ring Leader Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Drugs and Murders | United States Department of Justice". May 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Member Of "Black Mafia Family" Sentenced To 30 Years For Conspiracy To Possess And Distribute Coca". www.justice.gov (Press release). October 26, 2011 – via USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Western District of Kentucky.
  7. 1 2 Snell, Robert. "Black Mafia Family leader 'Big Meech' gets prison break in Detroit drug case". The Detroit News.
  8. ↑ "Black Mafia Family Members Sentenced to 30 Years" (Press release). US Drug Enforcement Administration. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  9. ↑ United States v. Smith, April 7, 2010, Law.com
  10. ↑ "Black Mafia Family Members Sentenced to 30 Years" Archived September 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , September 12, 2008, Drug Enforcement Administration
  11. ↑ "News from DEA, Domestic Field Divisions, Detroit News Releases, 11/20/07". Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Black Mafia Family" Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , February 2010, Atlanta Magazine
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Demetrius "Meech" Flenory BMF Indictment | PDF | Organized Crime Groups | Misconduct". Scribd.
  14. ↑ "The Second of Two Drug Kingpins Plead Guilty To Drug and Money Laundering Charges". News release. US Drug Enforcement Administration. November 20, 2007. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  15. ↑ Starbury, Allen (September 14, 2008). "BMF Founders Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison". BallerStatus. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
  16. ↑ Federal Bureau of Prisons. "Inmate Locator: Demetrius Flenory". US Department of Justice. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Black Mafia Family leader 'Big Meech' early release halted". thegrio.com. May–June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Bleu DaVinci – Streets On Lock". Discogs. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  19. ↑ Bleu Davinci featuring Young Jeezy and Fabolous. Streets on Lock (Music video). Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  20. ↑ Shalhoup, Mara (December 6, 2006). "Hip-hop's shadowy empire". Creative Loafing.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Shalhoup, Mara (2010). BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family. St. Martin's Press.
  22. ↑ Archived January 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ↑ "DEA Deals Motor City Mafia a Knock-out Blow" (Press release). United States Drug Enforcement Administration. October 28, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  24. ↑ Sales, Nancy Jo (November 2006). "Is Hip-Hop's Jeweler on the Rocks?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  25. ↑ "16 Additional People Indicted in Large Scale Drug and Money Laundering Case" (Press release). United States Drug Enforcement Administration. June 15, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Sixteen Members of Black Mafia Family Charged in Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy" (PDF) (Press release). United States Attorney's Office: Northern District of Georgia. July 25, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2007.
  27. 1 2 3 "Ten Black Mafia Family Defendants Sentenced" (Press release). United States Drug Enforcement Administration. October 30, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  28. 1 2 Cook, Rhonda (July 17, 2009). "Last remaining member of Black Mafia Family arrested". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  29. ↑ Hayes, Jabari (2009). Miles in the Life. For Life Publishing.
  30. ↑ Freeman, Scott (2007), BMF: The book and the movie , retrieved July 11, 2022
  31. ↑ Garcia, Brian A. (2022). "The Story of Terry Flannery and Everything You Need to Know". WZUZ News. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  32. ↑ "'BMF' star Demetrius Flenory Jr. on playing his own dad in crime drama". New York Post. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.