The Black Mafia Family (BMF) was a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States.
The Black Mafia Family was founded in the late 1980s in Detroit by brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, and by 2000 had established cocaine distribution sales throughout the United States through their Los Angeles–based drug source and direct links to Mexican drug cartels.
The Black Mafia Family operated from two main hubs: one in Atlanta for distribution run by Demetrius Flenory and one in Los Angeles to handle incoming shipments from Mexico run by Terry Flenory.The Black Mafia Family under Demetrius Flenory entered the hip-hop music business as BMF Entertainment in the early 2000s as a front organization to launder money from cocaine sales and to legitimize itself.
BMF Entertainment served as a promoter for several high-profile hip-hop artists including Fabolous and Young Jeezy, and as a record label for their sole artist Bleu DaVinci.
Demetrius Flenory and the Black Mafia Family became famous in hip-hop popular culture for their highly extravagant lifestyles.
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, and both were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.
Subsequent indictments eventually targeted over 150 members of the organization, and over 25,000 people were estimated to be members or associates.
Prosecutors alleged the Black Mafia Family made over $270 million in the course of their operations.