A Firsthand look at Gang life in St Louis

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• published: 14 Apr 2014
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In this show, the viewers are given a firsthand look at gang life in St. Louis. The Black Mafia Family (BMF) is a drug trafficking organization originally based in Detroit, Michigan which was founded in the late 1980s by brothers Demetrius and Terry Flenory. By the year 2000, they had established cocaine distribution cells in cities throughout the United States. Through their Los Angeles-based drug source, they had direct links to Mexican-based drug cartels. They established two main hubs for their operation: the Atlanta, Georgia hub, for distribution, was operated by older brother Demetrius, while the Los Angeles, California hub was operated by Terry to handle incoming shipments from Mexico. Around 2000, the organization tried to legitimize itself by entering the hip-hop music business, starting a company called BMF Entertainment. Through BMF Entertainment, it helped promote a number of artists, including Young Jeezy, as well as BMF Entertainment's sole artist, Bleu DaVinci. Before their entrance into the music business, the Flenory Brothers were known to associate with a number of high-profile hip-hop artists, including Jay-Z and Fabolous. In 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicted members of the Black Mafia Family, ultimately securing convictions by targeting the Flenory brothers under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute. Both were sentenced 30 years to life. Subsequent indictments eventually targeted over 150 members of the organization. Prosecutors alleged the organization made over $270 million over the course of the conspiracy. Flenory brothers Demetrius Flenory and his brother Terry "Southwest T" began their rise by selling $50 bags of powdered cocaine on the streets of Southwest Detroit, during their high school years. By 2000, they had established multi-kilogram cocaine distribution cells in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. A two-year federal investigation of the organization estimated its nationwide membership as over 500. Around 2001, there was a split between the brothers, with Terry moving to Los Angeles with his girlfriend to head his own organization and Demetrius staying in Atlanta. By 2003, the two had been involved in a major falling out and rarely spoke to one another.[citation needed] In a conversation with his sister, caught by the DEA on wiretap, Terry discussed his worries that his brother's excessive partying would bring the wrong type of attention to their business. By the time charges were filed, the government had 900 pages of typed transcripts of wiretapped conversations from Terry's phone in a 5-month period.[citation needed] In November 2007, the brothers pled guilty to running a continuing criminal enterprise. 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. Demetrius Flenory is serving out his sentence at the Atlanta USP in Atlanta,Georgia and is scheduled for release on February 25, 2032, around his 61st birthday. His brother is serving his sentence at FCI Pollock in Pollock, Louisiana and is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2031. Hip-hop presence In 2004, 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 that was produced by The Raw Report, which gave a detailed inside look at their movement. The DVD was featured Vibe's cover article on BMF in the May 2006. It received wide acclaim from DJs for the Soundsmith Productions produced song "Streets on Lock", headed by BMF affiliate Bleu Davinci and featuring Fabolous and Young Jeezy. A music video 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,[8] which was the first in-depth report on the organization. Her later book on the organization, BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family, was published in March 2010. Demetrius Flenory was interviewed from prison by the magazines Don Diva[9] and The Source.