Terry Lee Flenory is the younger brother to Big Meech. Born on 10 January 1970, the now 54 year-old Terry Flenory and his brother Big Meech were involved in the formation of the Black Mafia Family (BMF), a drug trafficking and money laundering organization that stretched its activities from the 1980s until the 2000s.
The younger Flenory was one of the front individuals in the Black Mafia Family until he was arrested with his brother and others involved in 2005. He was sentenced to 30 years behind bars but has since been released, and he now lives in Detroit, although there have been many erroneous reports claiming he had since died.
Summary of Terry Lee Flenory’s Bio
- Full name: Terry Lee Flenory
- Nickname: Southwest Tee
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 10 January 1970
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Age: 54 years old
- Ethnicity: African American
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married (alleged)
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Wife: Tonesa Welch
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Children: Terry Lee Flenory Jr.
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Parents: Charles Flenory (father), and Lucille Shelle (mother)
- Siblings: Demetrius Flenory, Nicole Flenory
- 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: 176 lbs
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Net worth: $50 million
- Famous for: Being a member of the Black Mafia Family
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Instagram: @southwest263
How Old Is Terry Lee Flenory Now?
It was on January 10, 1970, in Detroit, Michigan, that Terry Flenory was born, which means he is now 54 years old. Of American nationality and African American ethnicity, he was brought up in a Christian family by his parents, Charles Flenory and Lucille Shelle.
He was raised together with his sister, Nicole Flenory, and older brother, Demetrius Flenory, who is now better known as Big Meech. Their childhood was a strict one that was based on Christian principles.
Although their parents were never involved in the drug business, the two brothers, who were said to have attended high school but did not appear to go further, took to the drug business when they were still young.
Terry Lee Flenory and his Elder Brother Began BMF as Young Men
Demetrius was born on June 21, 1968. He has come to be more popular as Big Meech. He and Terry Lee Flenory, better known as Southwest Tee, began their drug trafficking and money laundering organization when they were only young men of 21 and 19, respectively. The brothers started the Black Mafia Family in 1968.
By the 2000s, the crime family had already grown into something that was feared and had many connections both within the United States and outside. The family operated its drug trafficking business in two main hubs; Los Angeles and Atlanta. While the Atlanta hub was mainly controlled by Big Meech, it was Terry who had control of the Los Angeles branch. Terry’s Los Angeles hub was saddled with the responsibility of handling shipments that were coming in from Mexico.
While the Flenory brothers continued to make money from cocaine and laundering, they soon found a way of legitimizing their funds by putting it in a music production company that was mostly into the promotion of rappers. In the best days of the brothers and their organization, BMF Entertainment was linked to some big names in rap, including Jay Z, T.I., Diddy, and Young Jeezy. It was through their loud lifestyle that the brothers would attract attention to their business.
This would not be without consequences as by 2005, members of the family not only attracted the attention of authorities but many of them were also indicted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The brothers who were at the helm of the whole thing both received 30 years behind bars.
Terry Flenory has a Complex Relationship With His Brother, Big Meech
Initially, Terry Lee Flenory and his older brother were both running their business in Atlanta, but they later had to create another hub in Los Angeles. The creation of the second hub was because of an ongoing feud that was brewing between the two, because of which they decided to stay away from each other. By this point, they had already built their organization to have more than 500 members.
In three years, the feud had already blown out of proportion, and the two brothers were no longer seeing eye to eye, and they were not talking. One of the reasons for the fight between the brothers was said to be Terry’s fear that his older brother was attracting the wrong kind of attention to them because he loved the lavished lifestyle and unending partying.
Unhappy with Big Meech’s lifestyle, Terry soon decided to put in effort into leaving the criminal life behind him. This triggered him to join forces with their father, Charles, and start a car service business.
Apart from these, the brothers are said to have two different personalities, which is one of the main reasons why the relationship between them was not very solid.
Going by the series about Terry Lee Flonery, another thing that complicated their relationship even more was a woman known as Markisha Taylor. Terry had already fallen head over heels for the woman who was, at the time, married to a drug dealer, but his older brother did not like her, creating a strong tension between them.
Did Big Meech’s Brother Snitch on Him?
Questions have never stopped being asked on whether it was Terry Flenory who snitched on his brother. The genesis of the unending questions is because it was alleged that it was from the younger Flenory that information was gotten by prosecutors to nail Big Meech. However, it has since been confirmed that Terry did not snitch on his brother.
The people who were reported to have snitched on Big Meech were Omari McCree and William Marshall, who were both BMF members. It was reported that the two individuals were used by the police to build up their case against the brothers as regards their involvement in the Black Mafia Family.
Reports claimed that McCree told prosecutors that he got cocaine from Big Meech, who was his supplier. The man did not later proceed to testify, but the information he gave was good enough. The information he was supposed to supply was to help him have reduced terms behind bars. It has been reported that he was a supplier of cocaine measured in multi-kilograms. He was considered a high-level distributor.
The second man, Marshall, was brought in as the star witness of prosecutors. On his part, it is not clear how involved Marshall was in the whole thing as a member of the Mafia gang, as reports claimed that he was a witness on the basis of drug transactions that he witnessed.
The information supplied by Marshall was too strong that it allegedly forced the Flenory brothers to agree to a plea deal before the trial began in 2007.
By the time convictions were secured for Big Meech, Terry, Marshall, and McCree, Omri only got to be behind bars for less than five years before he was released on parole, cutting his 15-year sentence by more than a decade. Since his release, nothing more is known about his whereabouts. Marshall, on the other hand, reportedly died while he was locked up at the Westland, Michigan.
He was said to have lost his life to a cocaine overdose. Controversy followed his death, and in the wake of it, Wayne County police were forced to pay the Marshall family $3.75 million as a result of what was termed wrongful death.
Terry Lee Flenory Was Shot but He Is Still Alive
Judging by his involvement in the life of crime, there is no gainsaying that Terry has lived a very dangerous life. The consequence of this is that he was shot a number of times in the past.
As captured by the TV series about his life and involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering, there was a time when he was shot in the eye by a member of a rival gang and drug lord, Lamar Silas. The character of Lamar was said to be based on the real-life Layton Simon, a drug dealer in Detroit, in the 1990s.
Although the TV series indicated that the shooting happened because Simon got angry as Terry and his brother were getting into his territory, it remains unknown whether this happened as portrayed in real life. What is known, however, is that in spite of the many rumors going around that Terry Lee Flenory was killed due to gunshot wounds, the former drug lord is still very much alive.
Who Is Terry Flenory’s Wife and Does He Have Kids?
Another aspect of Terry Lee Flenory’s life that is shrouded in mystery is his love life. Over the years, it has been rumored that the ex-convict is married to Tonesa Welch. Tonesa has not been left out of the crime, arrest, and convictions that have been a major part of the family’s story.
Considered one of the most important female members of the BMF, she joined the BMF when she was a young woman of 19. When Terry was arrested, Tonesa was also arrested, and she was locked up in 2008. Nonetheless, she has since found her way out after she served four years.
While the debate on whether the two are actually married or not, there are a few pictures of Terry and Tonesa, who is also referred to as the First Lady of the Black Mafia Family, on the internet. Some of the pictures were shared by Terry himself, including one where the two were seen kissing. Some are of the belief that the couple has been married for many years now and they have two kids.
If, as claimed, the two are indeed married, it means they both have a kid from their previous relationships. This is because is no secret that Terry is a father of one; his son, Terry Flenory Jr. On her part, Tonesa is also a mother of one, her son, Corey.
Terry Flenory’s Life Story is Captured in The Drama Series, BMF
Terry was portrayed in the 2021 TV series BMF which is also referred to as Black Mafia Family. The series, which is now set for a third season, centers around the Black Mafia Family, which is a drug trafficking and money laundering organization.
The series was developed by American rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent, who came up with the idea of turning the story of the two brothers and their organization into a TV series. It was this that brought about the series. It premiered on September 26, 2021, on Starz and has gotten a great reception.
It centers on the lives of Demetrius Flenory and Terry “Southwest Tee” Flenory, looking at how they began their organization when they were only teenagers and how they built it into a major drug trafficking cartel which has come to be known as Black Mafia Family. Their other family members, as well as close friends and associates, have also been featured.
The central characters of Terry Lee Flenory and Big Meech are portrayed by Da Vinchi and Demetrius “Lil Meech: Flenory, Big Meech’s son, respectively. Da Vinchi is a professional Haitian-American rapper and actor who was born Abraham D. Juste.
With his release from prison in 2020, Terry gave more perspective into the production. Also, the real-life relationship he had with Da Vinci gave the actor a chance to put an accurate portrayal of Terry, something he was grateful for. Da Vinchi added that, but for his closeness to Terry, he would have lost the chance to really be in the man’s shoes since he was only going to depend on things said and the internet.
Terry Flenory’s Net Worth is Estimated at $50 million
Terry Lee Flenory has an estimated net worth of $50 million to his name. He made a significant size of his fortune from his days as a drug peddler as well as a money launderer. During the sting operation that led to the capture of many members of his gang, tagged Operation Motor City Mafia, cash and assets seized ran into the millions.
Terry’s path to notoriety, which is also his path to fortune, began when he would sell $50 bags of crack cocaine together with his brother while they were still in high school. Decades later, they built a drug empire that was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even before his arrest, he shifted his trade to music promotion and production in an attempt to legalize the money and have a new start. This also added to his numbers, just as other businesses he got involved in, including the transport business, which he later began.
Where is Terry Flenory Now?
Having spent 12 years behind bars, Terry Lee Flonery regained his freedom in 2020. The release of the convicted drug trafficker, who was subsequently placed on home arrest, was because of health challenges and the ravaging coronavirus at the time. The pandemic forced prison authorities to decongest the prisons and try to manage the pandemic, thereby freeing some convicts.
Big Meech, on the other hand, is still cooling his heels in prison. He came close to also regaining his freedom in 2020 on the grounds of health, but his activities while in prison were said to be serious that he was not considered to be released.
Since his release, Terry Lee Flenory has continued to live a rather quiet life in Detroit, Michigan. He is now believed to be leading a crime-free life as he is no longer involved in the drug business, something he tried to stop even before he was apprehended and sent behind bars.
