Meech is a drug kingpin who is the head of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the United States. His organization, which was based in Atlanta, Georgia, was responsible for transporting large quantities of cocaine from Colombia to New York City. Meech would also use his connections with Colombian and Mexican drug cartels to import marijuana and heroin into Atlanta.
Meech’s organization has been linked to numerous murders and other crimes throughout the country. The DEA has stated that Meech’s organization is responsible for at least 100 murders in the United States and Mexico.
The BMF
The Meech family brothers started the Black Mafia Family in 1985 in the notorious Southwest Detroit. Both Flenory and Terry established the organization to smuggle and sell drugs. By 2000, the organization established itself as the biggest and the most dangerous group in the United States, with distribution and sales all over the country.
It became easy for people to find drugs because of this group. Additionally, the group was also involved in direct contact with the Mexican drug cartels, making them have a profitable business within a short period. The Black Mafia Family operated their entire network from two important or primary hubs: the one in Atlanta, which Demetrius Flenory overlooks for the distribution, and the other in Los Angeles, which Terry supervised and handled all the shipments from Mexico.
The BMF Entertainment
Under the leadership of Demetrius Flenory, the Black Mafia Family entered the entertainment business by launching BMF Entertainment. It focused primarily on hip-hop music. The entertainment business provided the family a legal cover to launder money through cocaine sales. The group promoted several high-profile artists through its label. It held onto Bleu Davinci, the sole artist representing BMF Entertainment.
The Brotherhood and Family
Big Meech is the family’s eldest son, born to Charles Flenory and Lucille Flenory. There is no accurate information about the professional life of the parents. We know about Terry, with whom Big Meech started the drug organization. The strange thing is about his sister. Demetrius has a sister, but little is known because nobody revealed her.
The Meech brothers, Demetrius Edward Big Meech Flenory and Terry P.O. Lee Southwest T Flenory, started the drug business in the early 1980s by selling bags of cocaine worth $50 on the streets of Detroit. It was during their early high school years. Within two decades, the two brothers went on to nurture the most prominent crime organization in the United States, covering all the states with distribution points set up at critical places. As per the estimates, there are over 500 members of the organization.
In early 2003, the organization developed schism because Terry Flenory changed his base to Los Angeles to look after his own organization. However, Demetrius was at the primary hub in Atlanta and looked over the entire operation. By the end of the same year, there was a significant fallout between the two, and they rarely spoke with each other.
Big Meech’s Wife’s Death
Several rumors are going in and around that state that Big Meech’s wife is dead. The news of Big Meech’s wife’s death spread like fire. These rumors are false because he was never married. The rumors stated that he was married to Tonesa Welch. However, the news turned out to be a rumor because there was no public record of the marriage.
That said, Big Meech had a longstanding legit girlfriend named Sabrina Peterson. She was with him from the start and became a business leader in the organization.
Over a period, many women appeared and posed as a legit wives. However, none of them were able to produce a marriage certificate that proved to be legitimate. There were also rumors that Demetrius turned to his partner Sabrina after his wife died. However, it was also a false report. Thus the fact of Big Meech’s wife’s death is completely false.
Irrespective of all these rumors, the most preferred name was Tonesa Welch. According to a few reports, she even named her son Lil Meech as a tribute to the son’s father. There were also a few reports circulating that stated that Big Meech married Tara Big Meech. However, as the official indictment is lacking in that specific ceremony, we can consider it a rumor.
Tammy Cowins, CEO of BMF entertainment, clarified that none of the reports or rumors are accurate and that Big Meech never married.
Who Is Sabrina Peterson?
Sabrina Peterson came into the limelight after Demetrius’s connection with the first lady of BMF, Tonesa Welch. She is a criminal serving a sentence in prison on the charges that she attacked her babysitter. In an interview, Tonesa talked about how Demetrius was affectionate with his beloved people even though he appeared to be a dangerous-looking individual. She also said that Big Meech helped train her and impart knowledge about public relations and business management that proved successful.
The Show – BMF
Curtis Jackson, also called 50 Cent, produced the new crime series BMF. The drama is about the rise and fall of Demetrius and his brother Terry. They went on to form the most significant drug organization in the United States. The series portrays Demetrius Flenory’s life, the ups and downs, and real-life experiences.
The interesting point of the series is the actor who plays Demetrius Big Meech Flenory in the series. It is none other than his son, “Lil Meech.” The show garnered attention quickly, and people started talking about it everywhere. A few of the former associates were not pleased with the show. In fact, Bleu DaVinci, the former Black Mafia Family artist, issued a warning to the producer and further stated that 50 Cent purchased the rights to the story using a snitch.
Lil Meech communicated with his father through prison visits and phone calls. However, as he grew up in Florida, he did not go through the same life experience that his father went through in his early days. The actor stated that he was lucky to get the opportunity to portray his father in the series.
He stated that portraying his father’s role helped him learn much about himself and his surroundings. He also said that he learned about the traits within him that otherwise were nonexistent.
Big Meech stated that he felt happy for what 50 Cent did for them as he was the only one to come through and put them on a legitimate 100% successful path. He said that 50 Cent never owed anything but gave much more one could ask for when every individual in the entertainment and sports industry never spoke or helped during the tough times.
Everything About Charges And Arrest
Demetrius Flenory (Big Meech) was arrested in 2003 regarding the Buckhead region shootings. The shooting happened at Club Chaos, where Big Meech shot the passings at Anthony “Wolf” Jones, a previous guardian of P. Diddy, and Lamont “Riz” Girdy, the cherished companion of Anthony. Demetrius was shot in the back during the scenario and was never prosecuted because of his self-preservation act.
DEA raided one of the stash houses in 2005. These raids resulted in a collection of $3.5 million in cash, several weapons, and about 2.5 kg of cocaine. Before these raids, DEA arrested 17 members of the organization and seized over 600 kilograms of cocaine and $5.3 million in cash. The BMF organization, according to the claims, supplied over 2,500kg of cocaine a month throughout the country.
In an audio call wiretapped by the DEA, Terry began expressing his concern over the group’s operation and how Demetrius was giving attention to the authorities by involving in the wrong acts, such as excessive partying. As a result, when the government filed the charge sheet against the brothers, it had about 900 pages of wiretapped transcripts from Terry within five months.
It was in November 2007 that the brother pleaded guilty to running a criminal organization and involving in drug trafficking. In the following year, 2008, the court sentenced them to 30-year imprisonment with the charges of running a country-wide drug operation.
Currently, Demetrius is serving his imprisonment at Sheridan Federal Correction Institution and is scheduled to release in 2029. Terry left the detention on compassionate grounds and went to home confinement because of his deteriorating health condition and the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ effort to release a few prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Demetrius claimed his release on the same grounds as his brother Terry. However, the court rejected his application, stating that he did not change and continued to act as the drug kingpin in addition to possessing weapons and a cell phone.
The Crime
The arrest by the DEA put brakes on the BMF organization. After years of investigation and gathering evidence, DEA successfully put the brother behind bars. The charges imposed were possession of over 500kg of cocaine, and the brothers intended to distribute the same through their members across the country. In addition, the DEA added two counts for the distribution of 5 kilograms of cocaine and another charge of running a conspiracy related to drug trafficking.
The DEA seized dozens of cars, captured hundreds of associates, several properties, and millions of dollars in cash.
Operation Motor City Mafia
In 2003, coordination between DEA and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force launched “Operation Motor City Mafia.” Police soon began the operation. In 2004, they captured Jabari Hayes for driving a 40-foot motor home. The motor home search returned two suitcases containing 95 kilograms of cocaine and 570 grams of marijuana.
In the same year, a wiretap during the operation led the team to a low-level crack dealer in Atlanta. The same thing led to Decarlo Hoskins, a mid-level dealer. Hoskins revealed that he grew close with Jeffrey and Omari, who belonged to the BMF organization. Further wiretaps helped the DEA to understand that Omari was a high-level distributor for the Black Mafia Family and was a favorite of Demetrius.
After being pulled by cops in 2004, Jeffrey was let go even when he was found traveling with 10kg of cocaine. It was part of a plan to collect more information that could reveal the supplier. However, Jeffrey and Omari were running from the organization because of the enormous debt they owed BMF for lost cocaine.
In 2005, he signed a confidential agreement, described his actions at BMF, and named Demetrius as the source of cocaine. Such events and a sting of operations that helped the DEA collect evidence formed the backbone of the case.
Indictments
The U.S.A Treasury Department charged an additional 16 individuals on the count that they were conspiring to distribute cocaine and launder money. As a result, the total number of people charged in the case rose to 49. The accused list consisted of Jacob Arabo, popularly called the jeweler, a celebrity jeweler in the hip hop community. Arabo was also charged for laundering more than $270 million from selling drugs.
The Justice Department also shared additional light on the alleged activities in the indictment papers that included running drug money through different wiring services and banks to prevent the origin of the funds. In addition, the department also accused the group of obtaining numerous Michigan State lottery tickets through a third party, then cashing the tickets for money to make it a legitimate transaction. The seized goods included BMW, Range Rovers, 35 vehicles including Bentleys, numerous bank accounts, over 30 pieces of jewelry, 13 residences, and $1.2 million in currency.
The last suspect, Vernon Marcus Coleman, was arrested in 2009 for possession of cocaine and the intent to distribute the same. As of 2015, DEA has arrested more than 150 members of the BMF family. The federal government believes that the detained people are part of the organization’s control structure, including the distribution, stash house operators, and transporters.
Net Worth
As per the different sources available, Demetrius Flenory, popularly called Big Meech, has a net worth estimated at over $100 million. His net worth rose quickly within two decades when he started his drug organization with his brother in the early 1980s. Later, he turned into an entrepreneur and businessman. Finally, he came into the limelight after forming his organization, the Black Mafia Family.
Even though he is imprisoned, his annual income is nearly $2 million. Most of his earnings come through his illegal business, such as entertainment labels and drug trafficking.
The Legitimate Path
Demetrius Flenory had big plans for the black mafia family organization. He was always planning to create a path to help the business become a legitimate entity. He stated that he was about to make money honestly and had the plans in motion before the DEA arrested him.
In a statement, he stated that he could have grabbed millions of dollars and gone somewhere where extradition was impossible. However, he did not want that and was trying to legitimize the entire organization and family.
The Truth Behind Arrest
According to Big Meech, his brother Terry planned the Fall down. He stated that it was not the illegal gains or the flashy lifestyle that he was living that got him arrested. Instead, it was his brother’s indictment that made the arrest possible. He said that he could not pinpoint the finger at his brother because he was not caught because of the things he knew he did.
A Few Facts
- Demetrius Flenory worked with several celebrities during his reign.
- Since the establishment of BMF entertainment, Demetrius Flenory has promoted several rappers.
- Demetrius is fond of tattoos and has inked several tattoos all over his body.
- He liked the rap culture and was fond of wearing funky clothes like those of rappers.
- He gave an interview to The Source and Don Diva magazine from prison.
