Young Boys Inc.

Young Boys Incorporated, also known as Y.B.I. was the first African-American drug cartel that operated on street corners.

They controlled about 90% of the heroin traffic in Detroit, Michigan during the late 1970s through the late 1980s. The group was formed by a small group of neighborhood friends in 1977. All of the boys (in the beginning) were in their late teens. Dwayne Davis (a.k.a. Wonderful Wayne or WW), and Raymond Peoples were two of the founders who became bosses. A few years later Butch Jones (a.k.a. Big Boy) joined. It was about this time that Y.B.I. split into three separate crews (WW, Big Boy and Raymond).

From the start, YBI's main place of operation was the Dexter/Davison neighborhood on Detroit's west side. About two years after its formation, Y.B.I. completely took over the heroin trade (in and around Boston to expand his operation. About a year after being in Boston, the crew he sent there took over most of that city's heroin trade. Sales peaked at about $50,000 per day. The organization in Detroit was seriously crippled in 1982. It is alleged that at the height of their drug business in the early 1980s YBI was making more money per month than the nearly bankrupted Chrysler Corporation.

In September 1982, it was alleged that Butch Jones ordered the execution of WW because of a turf dispute. He was gunned down on the corner of Columbus and Lawton on Detroit's west side. And on December 7th of that same year Raymond Peoples, Butch Jones and 41 of Y.B.I.'s top Lieutenants were indicted, convicted, and later sentenced to long prison terms. Most people believed that because of WW's death none of his crew were indicted. After Raymond Peoples was released from prison he was shot to death as he sat in a car on the city's west side.

The lieutenant that WW sent to Boston came back to Detroit after his {WW's} death and took over what was left of Y.B.I. He operated for about another six years until crack cocaine became the drug of choice over heroin. After serving 12 years in federal prison Butch Jones was released and eventually indicted again on drug and murder charges. Facing the death penalty he cooperated with federal authorities for a lesser sentence.

YBI had such an incredibly organized and structured drug ring that after their downfall other African-American Detroit drug cartels copied their strategy and rose to prominence such as "Best Friends", "Pony Down", "Black Mafia Family" and the most famous of those who followed "The Chambers Brothers" who was featured in a Black Entertainment Television documentary series entitled "American Gangsters". YBI's reputation and system of organization impacted and influenced drug gangs nationally during the 1980s and 1990s.

External links

* [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06064/665355.stm How a Detroit Gang got to New Castle]