Rapper released from prison after almost twenty years

Rapper Demetrius Flenory – also known as “Big Meech” – has been released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in a residential reentry program, according to a report from The Associated Press. Flenory was convicted in 2008 of drug trafficking and money laundering, and was sentenced to 30 years behind bars. His attorney Brittany K. Barnett told the AP this week that he was recently released.

Flenory co-founded the drug trafficking organization known as ‘Black Mafia Family’ or BMF. His story gained fame in 2021 thanks to the original Starz series BMFled by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. It dramatized the story of Flenory and others who built a vast drug distribution network from their beginnings in Detroit, Michigan. Now Flenory is 56 years old and has spent almost twenty years behind bars.

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Barnett is co-founder of the Buried Alive Project and she said she is “overjoyed” that Flenory has been released. She said: “He used his time in prison to focus on personal growth and transformation, and now he has the chance to start a new chapter. He’s out, but millions of others are still trapped – there’s still so much work to be done. We must push for real change, for a justice system that recognizes the dignity and potential for redemption in every individual.”

Flenory was arrested in 2005 and convicted in 2008. His sentence would have ended in January 2026. He is reportedly being closely monitored at a residential reentry center in Miami, Florida, which aims to prepare ex-prisoners to reintegrate into society and reduce the likelihood of them being re-imprisoned. Flenory’s brother Terry is in a similar reentry center in Detroit and is expected to be released in August 2025.

The Flenory brothers made contacts with drug cartels in Mexico, as well as sources in Los Angeles, California. They made their way into the rap music industry in the early 2000s through their company ‘BMF Entertainment’. However, prosecutors later claimed it was all a front to launder money from their drug empire. They distributed cocaine and other illegal substances throughout the US. During their career, they earned an estimated $270 million.

Public reaction to Flenory’s release has been mixed, but many commentators online are wondering how the Starz series’ popularity will impact its life on the outside. BMF is now streaming on Starz and on Prime Video.