Kriti Mehrotra
With Starz’s ‘BMF’ (or ‘Black Mafia Family’) living up to its title in every way imaginable, we get a crime drama original that can only be described as equal parts baffling, entertaining, and intriguing. That’s because it delves deep into the true story of two brothers as they rose from the streets of Detroit, Michigan, to arguably the most powerful underworld drug lords in American history. The younger of these two was actually Terry “Southwest Tee” Flenory, whose business acumen as well as quiet hard work was reportedly what made them thrive until they simply couldn’t anymore.
Terry “Southwest Tee” Flenory Became a Mafia Man at an Early Age
It was on January 10, 1970, that Terry was born as the middle child of Lucille and Charles Flenory in a tight-knight home, only to follow in his elder brother Demetrius “Big Meech” Edward’s footsteps. The truth is this duo did have a loving younger sister named Nicole, yet they were more protective of her than anything since she was born in 1974 when they were around 4 and 6, respectively. Therefore, of course, they alone kickstarted their drug business while still in high school in the 1980s, even adopting the name 50 Boyz because all they did was sell $50 bags of cocaine on the streets.
Little did these brothers know they’d soon have to rebrand to Black Mafia Family as Demetrius’ unwavering charm plus Terry’s pure business acumen was enabling them to quickly expand. In fact, by the time 2000 rolled around, they had strong ties within the Mexican cartel, a full-fledged shipment receiving base in Los Angeles, and a massive distribution center in Atlanta. It turns out Southwest Tee was responsible for handling all matters in California, whereas Big Meech ran Georgia; all the while, they equally distributed the workload of at least 11 other states.
However, things began to change once Demetrius established BMF Entertainment as a front to legitimize their drug funds through pure money laundering in the early 2000s, and it didn’t work. That’s because this organization actually quickly evolved into a true promoter for several A-list hip-hop artists like Sean Combs and Jay-Z as well as a record label for then-upcoming Bleu DaVinci. This brother thus unwittingly began leading a rather extravagant, opulent life in the public eye, which worried Terry to no extent since he felt as if they were attracting the wrong kind of attention.
Terry was right — soon after this duo had a major falling out owing to their different approaches, and this Los Angeles-based kingpin kickstarted his own separate organization, the DEA got involved. They actually conducted a two-year investigation on the Flenorys plus their illegal operations under the codename Operation Motor City Mafia, by the end of which they had more than enough evidence. Therefore, in the fall of 2005, both brothers were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to launder money, possession with intent to distribute, and a couple of other related counts.
Terry, in particular, was apprehended in St. Louis, Missouri, following which a raid of his property there uncovered scattered weapons, several other people in hiding, as well as small amounts of marijuana. On the other hand, his elder brother was captured in a suburb outside Dallas, Texas, with not just many fellow gang members and marijuana but also a few MDMA pills plus numerous luxury vehicles. In the end, in November 2007, they both pleaded guilty to running a continuing criminal enterprise, resulting in them getting sentenced in September 2008 to 30 years in a federal correctional facility.
Terry “Southwest Tee” Flenory is Not in Prison
Despite the fact Terry was sentenced to spend three decades behind bars, he was actually released to home confinement on May 5, 2020, after being granted compassionate discharge under supervision. The reason behind this was his genuine health ailments, his low-risk factor, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ efforts to release some inmates in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the facilities. His brother Demetrius did subsequently seek release under the same guidelines, yet a federal judge denied him owing to the simple fact his inmate disciplinary records showed he hadn’t changed his ways.
So, today, at the age of 54, Terry “Southwest Tee” Flenory is at Detroit Reentry Center (RRM), where he can be surrounded by loved ones and engage with hip-hop artists under the bounds of his confinement. His social media platforms are actually proof of the same — this father of one is still serving his sentence; he will be released completely on August 17, 2025. We should also mention that it doesn’t appear as if he and Demetrius are estranged anymore, especially as he has frequently used the hashtag #FreeBigMeech on his Instagram feed over the past couple of years.
Read More: Where is Big Meech Now?
