Terry Lee Flenory (born on January 10, 1970) is a convicted drug trafficker and businessman currently serving out his 30-year jail term after his conviction for drug trafficking and continuing involvement in criminal activities across America.
Terry, who is also known as Southwest T, began dealing drugs while still in high school alongside his older brother, Demetrius Flenory. Over the course of 20 years, the Flenory brothers went from selling drugs on the streets to building a nationwide drug dealing organization spanning several states across the United States.
The DEA wire-tapped Terry Flenory’s phones and was able to gather enough evidence that led to the eventual arrest, prosecution, and sentencing for their offenses. Terry is currently under house arrest to serve out the remainder of his prison sentence.
Terry Lee Flenory’s Biography Summary
- Full name: Terry Lee Flenory
- Nickname: SouthWest T
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: January 10, 1970
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Age: 54 years
- Ethnicity: African-American
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Wife: Tonesa Welch
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Children: Terry Flenory Jr and others
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Parents: Lucile (mother) and Charles (father)
- Siblings: Demetrius Edwards (brother) and Nicole (sister)
- 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: 100 Kilograms (220 lbs)
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Net worth: Between $ 40 million to $ 100 million
- Famous for: Drug trafficking, the Black Mafia Family television series
- Terry Lee Flenory’s Instagram: @southwest263
Terry Flenory was Born in Michigan in 1970
Terry Flenory was born in Detriot, Michigan, in the United States of America, on January 10, 1970, and his parents are Charles Flenory and Lucile Flenory. Their parents gave birth to a daughter they named Nicole, asides from Terry’s other brother Demetrius. It is believed that both the Flenory brothers and their sister grew up in a highly religious home under very strict parents.
Terry and his brother went to high school, but it is not clear if they completed their studies before they decided to go full-time into the drug dealing business. According to the available information, they were making a lot of money while still in high school.
Their parents were never involved in the drug business, rather they tried to show the Flenory brothers the right way to go, but peer pressure and the quest to be the main man pushed the brothers into a life of crime, danger, and more money than they could spend in their lifetime.
Terry’s parents later got separated, but by the time this happened, both brothers were already independent of their parents and definitely had more money than their parents, as it was stated that Demetrius Flenory actually helped pay off his parent’s mortgage.
Terry Flenory is the Younger of the Two Flenory Brothers
Terry Flenory was born on January 10, 1970, and so would be 54 years currently, while his brother Demetrius Flenory was born on June 21, 1968, and that would make him 55 years old. So Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory is about a year and a half older than his little brother, Terry “SoutWest T” Flenory.
He was Very Much Involved in the Black Mafia Family Business
Terry Flenory is believed to be as involved in the Black Mafia Family business just like his brother Demetrius. By the time both boys were in high school in the late ’80s, they had begun selling drugs such as cocaine for their dealers in $ 50 bags, before the brothers decided to go into it by themselves after a few close call encounters with death.
In fact, it was Terry Flenory that suggested to his brother, Demetrius, that they should continue the drug business on their own even though Demetrius got into the business before him. The brothers worked hard to make more money and gain more territories over their rivals/competitors.
By the year 2000, the Flenory brothers had established a well-run drug dealing organization that was selling cocaine and other related drugs in several cities in the United States of America, including Tennessee, Ohio, California, Michigan, Kentucky, and Alabama, to mention a few. At this time, the Black Mafia Family organization was believed to have more than 500 members spread out strategically over several states.
The Flenory brothers had made so much money by this time that they could afford to treat themselves to a luxurious lifestyle as much as they wanted to. It was Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory that took indulging in this luxurious lifestyle to an almost insane level – throwing lavish parties and spending big money on “toys” and the like.
This got Terry so upset that it fractured the brother’s relationship and led to a bust-up when Terry confronted Demetrius about his lifestyle and the unnecessary attention it was calling to them and their business.
The Feud Between The Flenory Brothers
As stated earlier, the excessive lavish lifestyle of Demetrius Flenory upset Terry Flenory so much that it led to a bust-up between the two brothers when Terry confronted him. The relationship between both of them soured to the point that they were not even speaking to each other at that point.
The breakdown in the once cordial relationship between the brothers eventually led to a split in the modus operandi of their business, with Terry Flenory moving over to Los Angeles, California, to set up his own drug dealing empire while Demetrius remained in Atlanta, Georgia – which had become the main distribution center of their drug business in the United States of America.
It was at this stage that the DEA wire-tapped Terry Flenory’s phones (and maybe bugged his house and cars) which led to them being able to compile a comprehensive dossier on the drug-related activities of the brothers. They got all the information they needed to build a case against them, which eventually led to their arrest and prosecution in 2005, while their sentencing came about 3 years later.
Did Big Meech’s Brother Snitch On Him?
No! Terry Flenory did not snitch on his brother even though the information was gotten from him for their prosecution. His carelessness in handling their business on the phone led him to reveal parts (if not most) of their criminal enterprise. From all indications, his frustrations got the better of him and led him to reveal more than necessary to the ears of those tracking their activities.
What happened was that Terry Flenory was extremely unhappy about how his brother’s lavish and flamboyant lifestyle was drawing attention to them and their business, so he probably had a discussion about this with his brother Demetrius and they had a falling out over the issue.
Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had been onto the drug-related activities of the brothers for quite some time, so they tapped Terry Flenory’s phones (and probably that of his brother and their known associates as well) and practically listened in to all his phone conversations.
Within a space of 5 months, the DEA was able to collate a comprehensive 900 pages of typed manuscripts based solely on Terry Flenory’s conversations, probably with his brother and their associates, with detailed evidence of how the criminal enterprise of the brothers worked and what exactly they were into and where. This was the single activity that enabled the DEA to build their very comprehensive profile of the brothers and also to build a very convincing case against them that was beyond rebuttal or denial.
So, Terry Flenory did not intentionally snitch on his brother, Big Meech, as he never knew the Federal Authorities had the capabilities to listen to his conversations and monitor their lives. He just carried on living his life and doing his business before he was found out.
The Black Mafia Family Television Series
Sometime in early 2021, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson – the famous American rapper, developed an idea to turn the whole saga surrounding Terry Flenory and his brother, Demetrius, into a television series to tell their story to the world. He went on to turn this idea into reality and a crime drama television series titled The Black Mafia Family was born. It eventually premiered on Starz on September 26, 2021.
Terry’s character in the show is played by Da Vinchi – whose real name is Abraham D. Juste, a Haitian-American rapper and actor who actually began his professional career in the entertainment industry as a rapper and spoken word artiste. His brother, Demetrius’s character on the show, is actually played by his own son named Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory.
The show was obviously a success for its first season, and since people wanted to know more about the life of the Flenory brothers, it was renewed for a second season on January 6, 2023. A few weeks later, the show was renewed for a third season, which would keep it on the screens for much longer than was initially anticipated by the producers.
A few popular actors and celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Monique, Serayah, Steve Harris, Jalen Rose, and several others have appeared as either regular cast members or made a cameo appearance on the BMF show.
Who is Terry Flenory’s Wife and Does He Have Kids?
Terry Lee Flenory is widely believed to be married to the beautiful Tonesa Welch, and they have been married for quite some time now. There are several pictures of both of them all over Social Media, and Terry himself has posted quite a few of their pictures together on his Instagram handle. Tonesa is also known as the First Lady of the Black Mafia Family.
Tonesa was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was believed to have been raised in a middle-class family. She is an actress and reality television show star known to have featured in “the Black Mafia Family Wives reality TV show” and in movies such as American Gangsters: Trap Queens (2019) and Notorious Queens (2021). She is the founder of a non-profit organization known as Sylent Heat – whose main aim of set up is to help children who have found themselves in jail, and she is also a life coach of some sort.
The actual number of kids that Terry Flenory has with Tonesa is not really known. Some speculate that they have 2 kids between them, while others believe that they have as many as 4 kids together. Unfortunately, these kids – irrespective of their number- have been diligently kept away from the public’s prying eyes, so it is impossible to verify this information accurately.
What is Terry Flenory’s Net Worth?
Terry Flenerory has been in the money laundering and dealing illegal substances business for almost 4 decades now, and many put his net worth between $20 million to $100 million range. It should be noted that the brothers under the name of their organization – the Black Mafia Family, actually dabbled into music production and the entertainment industry, but many believe that that unsuccessful foray into the media business was just a front for their money laundering activities.
Some folks also believe that Terry Flenory’s net worth may actually surpass the figure being pushed out in the media, as the heads of most criminal organizations actually have their money either stashed away in some safe haven or have been invested in some activities/endeavors that are legit – but not directly in their names.
Was Terry Flenory Shot and Is He Still Alive?
The life of crime always has its consequences, as Terry Flenory was shot sometime in October 2021. Terry was still under home confinement at the time, and he was shot by an unidentified member of a rival gang while he was exiting Tonessa Welch’s house in Detroit, Michigan.
As news of the incident got to public notice, rumors began circulating that Terry Flenory was dead, but that wasn’t the case at all. He somehow managed to survive the incident and lost the use of the affected eye. He is still under confinement in Detroit. Rumors have it that Terry may actually know who shot him and is waiting for the perfect opportunity to hit back, as most criminal organizations do to their enemies.
Another twist to this incident was revealed on the Black Mafia Family crime drama television show, where Lamar was revealed as the one that actually shot Terry Flenory – but that may be either taken as a media depiction or the reality of what actually transpired on that eventful day it is difficult to tell.
Where Is Terry Flenory Now?
Terry Flenory is currently serving his time after being found guilty of running a continuing criminal drug enterprise by the United States government. After the DEA arrested the brothers, both Terry and Demetrius pleaded guilty to the charge(s) of continuing to run a criminal drug enterprise and were each sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for continuing to run a nationwide cocaine trafficking business – just between the years 2000 to 2003.
After their sentencing in September 2008, Terry Flenory was remanded at the Kentucky Federal Prisons to serve out his 30-year sentence, while his brother Demetrius was sent to the Federal Correctional Institute in Sheridan, Oregon. Both brothers were initially meant to be released sometime in 2032, but it seems that their release date has been moved forward to some time in 2029.
In May 2020, due to the rising cases of Covid-19 cases in Federal Prisons in the United States of America, Terry Flenory and his brother, Demetrius, appealed to be released from prison to serve the rest of their sentence under house arrest. At the same time, Terry’s application was considered and granted – mostly due to his ill health, that of Demetrius was denied, and he is still serving his sentence in prison.
Terry Flenory is currently under house arrest in Detroit. Therefore, he has been active on social media, where he seems to have embraced the popularity that their conviction and incarceration have afforded him over the years.
