When I hear the word mafia, I picture an Italian Godfather in a fedora and smoking an expensive cigar. I know what you are thinking. Racial profiling at its best. One man defied the stereotype and went ahead to control the most extensive drug ring in the early 2000s.
Demetrius Edward Flenory. Neither an Italian but maybe a godfather to one or two kids. Demetrius is a renowned American businessman, entrepreneur, and drug dealer from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for establishing the Black Mafia Family organization that shook all of Michigan.
So, where is Demetrius today?
Personal life
Demetrius Edward Flenory was born on 21st June 1968 to Charles and Lucille Flenory in Detroit, Michigan. Demetrius has a younger brother, Terry P. O. Lee Flenory, born on 10th January 1970. He attended a local high school in the late 1980s, and that is where he established his first business.
Demetrius Edward Flenory dated Sabrina Peterson but later got married to Tara Flenory. They share a child, Demetrius Flenory Jr., or Lil’ Meech.
The Rise and Fall of Big Meech
While most students were busy trying to be book smart, Demetrius knew the streets were where the money was. So together with his little brother ‘Southwest T,’ Demetrius, alias ‘Big Meech,’ began selling cocaine on the streets of Detroit at 50 dollars a bag.
In the early 2000s, Big Meech and his brother established the Black Mafia Family, a drug trafficking and money laundering organization. The organization dealt majorly with the business of cocaine distribution sales in numerous states in the United States, such as California, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, and Missouri, among others.
Big Meech also founded BMF Entertainment, a record label and promotion agency for hip-hop musicians. And since they were already associating with famous hip-hop artists like Jay-Z, P-Diddy, and Young Jeezy, the organization quickly picked up.
However, the Demetrius Flenory and his brother had a falling out in 2001, which led to Southwest T moving to Los Angeles to establish his own business. BMF was still booming. In 2005, one of the signed artists, Bleu Da Vinci, got a Source Award nomination for his album, World is BMF’s.
Things went south in 2005 when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested and prosecuted the Black Mafia Family, focusing solely on the two brothers. In 2007, Big Meech and Southwest T pleaded guilty to running a criminal enterprise. They were later convicted in 2008 of running elaborate drug trafficking and money laundering schemes in Michigan history. The dynamic duo was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Terry Lee was released in May 2020 under house arrest, while Big Meech continues to serve time at USP Lompoc located in California. But in an unparalleled turn of events, the United States Sentencing Guidelines made amendments to revise drug-related offenses that occurred before November 2014. Big Meech is, therefore, due for early release in 2028.
He was also spotted doing charity work in October 2021 to get on Santa’s good side and help secure an early release.