Terry Lee Flenory is the younger brother of Demetrius Edward “Big Meech” Flenory Sr. Terry, who is 54 years old, is currently under house arrest in Detroit, Michigan, in the United States pending when his prison term will be deemed completed.
The former drug peddler started and ran the Black Mafia Family cartel with his big brother Meech. They later established the record label company known as BMF Entertainment, which served as a cover for laundering money made from pedaling hard substances. Terry was arrested and jailed in 2008 but was later granted compassionate release due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Summary of Terry Lee Flenory’s Biography
- Full Name: Terry Lee Flenory
- Nickname: Southwest T.
- Gender: Male
- Date of Birth: 10th of January 1970
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Age: 54 years old
- Ethnicity: Black-American
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: In a relationship
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Partner: Tonesa Welch
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Children: One
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Parents: Charles and Lucile Flenory
- Siblings: Two
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 8 inches
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Height in Centimetres: 173 cm
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Weight: 100kg
- Famous For: Being a former BMF boss
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Instagram: @southwest263
- Twitter: @southwest263
- Facebook: @southwest263
How Old is Terry Lee Flenory and When was HeBorn?
Terry Lee Flenory was born on the 10th of January 1970, and calculations from the former drug lord’s date of birth pegs his current age at 54 years old.
Southwest T. Flenory as he is fondly called listed his place of birth as Detroit, Michigan in the United States which indicates his American nationality. However, Terry’s physical appearance is a testament to his African-American roots.
His mother has been identified as Lucille Flenory, while his dad is Charles Flenory. Far from being a lone child, Terry Lee Flenory spent his growing up years with two siblings – his brother Demetrius Edward Flenory Sr., also known as Big Meech (June 21, 1968), is older than him by a couple of years and was his partner in their drug-pedaling business. The duo has an only sister, Nicole Flenory.
Nicole was born in Dartmouth, Detroit, in 1974, and going by the reports gathered during the investigations into the Black Mafia Family cartel, she had nothing to do with the illegal business. However, she was not spared after her brothers got arrested. In 2005, Terry’s only sister was taken into custody to face many charges bordering on money laundering and drug trafficking, but she wasn’t found guilty of any.
Nicole lives her life away from the prying eyes of the media and general public, thus, nothing much is known about her. However, she is reportedly a wife and a mother and lives in Lincoln Park, Michigan, where she raised her two sons alongside her spouse (name withheld). American rapper Dillan Steele is recognized as one of her children.
There is little to go by on Terry’s academic records, but it has been said that both Big Meech and Southwest T. didn’t go past high school as the Flenory brothers started their drug pedaling business from their days as high school students.
Terry was Involved in Several Businesses Both Legal and Illegal
Terry Lee Flenory is listed as an American businessman, music executive, and former drug kingpin. He is credited for co-founding the notorious Black Mafia Family (BMF) and BMF Entertainment. The former is an organization known for several illegal activities, including drug peddling, money laundering, and more, while the latter is a record label. He also runs his own clothing line.
Terry was Involved in the Formation of BMF From Day One
When Terry Lee Flenory and his big brother, Demetrius Edward “Big Meech” Flenory Sr., were still in high school in the late 1980s, the duo started selling cocaine on the streets of Detroit in Michigan. At the initial stage, the brothers were satisfied with selling just $50 bags; this was what led to their first moniker, “50 Boyz”.
Their business continued to thrive and grew into a huge concern. By the year 2000, the “50 Boyz” succeeded in establishing a very large organization that took charge of distributing hard substances in many parts of the United States, including California, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan which was their base.
The Black Mafia Family had a nationwide membership that exceeded 500, as reported by a two-year federal investigation carried out on their activities.
The BMF Entertainment
As the business continued to thrive in the Black Mafia Family drug cartel, Terry Lee Flenory and Demetrius Edward “Big Meech” Flenory Sr. started receiving huge cash deposits, and in an advanced country like the US, the Flenory brothers needed to put up a legal face that they can claim to be the source of their sudden wealth. This was what led to the launch of BMF Entertainment.
Established in the early 2000s, the Black Mafia Family Entertainment, as it is called, served as a music imprint cum promotional agency for hip-hop music, and at the same time, it was serving another purpose underground as an avenue for money laundering. All the money from the cocaine distribution network was passed off as income from music promotion.
In fact, it was after the imprint was formed that they decided to name their drug distribution network BMF while the record label bore BMF Entertainment.
Launching the BMF Entertainment firm was so convenient for the Flenory brothers as the duo was already rolling with several A-list hip-hop artists in the United States, including the likes of Diddy, Trina, T.I., Jay-Z, Fabolous, Young Jeezy, and more.
BMF Entertainment was really making headway during the 2010s. Its major signee’, Bleu Da Vinci, recorded a career milestone in 2005 when his album entitled World Is BMF became a nominee for a Source Award. Many underground hip-hop DVD magazines featured the music imprint in their publications, including S.M.A.C.K., The Come Up, and more. The Raw Report featured a detailed inside look at the cartel’s movement in a full-length DVD. Vibes featured the DVD in its May 2006 article.
Soundsmith Productions DJs dropped the track “Streets on Lock,” where BMF received wide acclaim; this was fronted by Bleu Davinci and featured Young Jeezy and Fabolous. Sadly, the music video that was later produced for the son never saw the light of the day.
Terry Lee Flenory has a Clothing Line
Life was not all about the Black Mafia family and BMF Entertainment for Terry Lee Flenory, as Big Meech’s younger brother established a clothing line for himself. His apparel line is called Southwest Black Magic, and the business sells several clothing items. The venture was quite successful while it lasted, but nothing was heard about it after the long arm of the law caught up with the Flenory brothers.
The Flenoery Brother’s Feud
The year 2003 was when Terry Lee Flenory and Demetrius Edward “Big Meech” Flenory Sr. started experiencing a schism which led to a serious feud between them.
With time, they divided the business with Big Meech in charge of their distribution center in Atlanta while Terry moved his craft down to California. At a point, the Flenory brothers rarely talked to each other, and in one of the wiretap conversations caught by the DEA, Terry talked about his worries that Big Meech’s excessive partying would one day draw unnecessary attention to their business. Within five months of investigations, the DEA had a total of 900 pages of captured transcripts of wiretapped discussions from Southwest T.’s phone. This formed the basis for the charges brought against them.
Their Subsequent Arrest and Imprisonment
Investigations into the activities of the Black Mafia Family started sometime in the early 1990s; this was before it was even named, and by then, it was yet to reach peak distribution.
When the October 2005 indictment started, it swept through the rank and file of the BMF, resulting in massive raids, large drug seizures, arrests, and subsequent informant testimonies, mostly from members of the BMF.
Leading up to this breakthrough was an October 28th, 2003, two-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation codenamed “Operation Motor City Mafia”. This was coordinated by the Special Operations Division of the DEA.
During the October 2005 raid by the DEA, the American drug law enforcement agents arrested 30 BMF members and confiscated over $3 million in both cash and assets. They also seized multiple weapons, including 2.5 kilograms of cocaine. Before the massive arrest, 17 BMF members were already apprehended by the DEA, and the authorities also seized $5.7 million in assets, $5.3 million in cash, plus 632 kilograms of cocaine. According to their submission, the drug cartel moved more than 2,500 kilograms of cocaine throughout the US on a monthly basis.
With all these in place, the kingpins, Terry Lee Flenory and Demetrius Flenory, were finally arrested by the DEA. Terry was picked up in St. Louis with dangerous weapons and marijuana found in his residence, which housed multiple people. Big Meech was captured in a Dallas-based abode with a few MDMA pills, marijuana, dangerous weapons, and multiple expensive automobiles.
When Terry Lee Flenory and his big brother were finally arraigned in November 2007, the duo pleaded guilty to the charges of operating a continuing criminal enterprise. Barely one year later in September 2008, the drug-pedaling duo received a 30-year jail term for operating a nationwide cocaine-trafficking ring.
SoutWest T. Was Granted Compassionate Release
After he received a 30-year jail term in 2008, Terry Lee Flenory only spent 12 years behind bars before he was granted a compassionate release on the 5th of May 2020. His saving grace was the coronavirus pandemic that was fast spreading within federal prisons and was claiming thousands of lives.
Because of the ravages of the pandemic, the Federal Bureau of Prisons made efforts to set certain inmates free in a bid to curtail the spread of the virus. Luckily, Terry was already battling some health issues that put him into the category of inmates to benefit from the compassionate release.
He eventually left the prison on the 5th of May 2020, but he was put on home confinement till his sentence was deemed completed. During his house arrest, Terry could only leave the house in limited conditions.
Following his release, Terry Lee Flenory’s big brother, Big Meech, tried to take advantage of the same guideline to secure his own release, but his request was rejected by a federal judge who claimed that Meech’s prison records were nothing to write home about.
According to the judge, the former drug lord hasn’t turned a new leaf as he has continued his self-promotion as a drug lord. Meech was also accused of violating prison rules by keeping weapons, cell phones, and hard substances in his possession.
The TV Series, BMF
The activities of the Black Mafia Family inspired a lot of productions like TV series, documentaries, docuseries, and more.
Notable among them is the STARZ Series BMF created by the famous American rap artist Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. American writer and executive producer Randy Huggins worked hand in hand with 50 Cents in the production of the series, which started airing on Starz on the 26th of September, 2021.
In the series, the character of Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory is depicted by his son, Demetrius Flenory Jr., who is a musician and actor. Musician and actor Abraham Da’Vinchi Juste was the one who essayed the role of Terry Lee Flenory.
The series has already had a full run of its first season, and the release of the second season has already been announced, with season three in the works.
According to Jeffrey Hirsch, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Starz, “The success recorded by the ‘BMF’ series is a demonstration of the continued rise in the interest and demand of the Flenory Brothers’ story by fans.”
Reportedly, a docuseries that will revolve around the life of the Flenory brothers is already in the works and is also being produced by 50 Cent. The release date is slated to be announced soon.
Terry Lee Flenory’s Net Worth
Terry amassed tremendous wealth during his reign in the Black Mafia Family business, and as of then, his net worth was pegged between $40 to $50 million. However, since he was granted compassionate release from prison, nothing has been said about his fortune.
Note that a majority of his assets, both cash and property, were confiscated by the American authorities during the BMF raid, thus, we cannot place our hand on exactly what is remaining for Terry.
Was Terry Flenory Shot and Is He Still Alive?
Terry Lee Flenory is very much alive. The speculations about his purported demise started spreading in October 2021 when he was involved in a shooting by people who are yet to be identified. However, his assailants were said to be a rival gang from Detroit, Michigan.
The bullet reportedly caught Southwest T. in the eyes, but the injury wasn’t enough to claim his life.
Did Big Meech Brother Snitch on Him
No, Terry did not snitch on Big Meech. The people responsible for telling on the former drug lord were former BMF members William Marshall and Omari McCree, who assisted the police in building a strong case against the Flenory brothers. Meech even had to send out an email confirming that Southwest T. wasn’t responsible for the snitching.
Who Is Terry Flenory’s Wife and Does He Have Kids?
There is no single indication that Terry has ever tied the nuptials with any woman, but Tonesa Welch has been listed as his spouse for many years. Tonesa works and earns a living as an executive producer, and among her production credits is NotoriousQueens.
Also a brand influencer, Tonesa is best recognized as the First Lady of the BMF. She is from Detroit and has served four years of prison term in the past on charges of money laundering.
Does Terry have Children?
Talking about children, Terry is said to be a father of one. His only known child is Terry Lee Flenory Jr., whom he shares with his former girlfriend, Rhonda Major. The young man was born on November 1, 1989. There are rumors that the former drug lord has other kids, but this remains to be seen.
Where Is Terry Flenory Now?
Since his release from prison, Terry Lee Flenory has been under house arrest in Detroit, Michigan. He spends most of the day in a specific abode and can only get out of the premises under the stated exceptions, including food shopping, work, school, medical treatment, religious services, etc.
These days, the former drug kingpin occupies his time with family and friends, and occasionally, he gets involved in music promotion activities with his colleagues in the hip-hop world.
