Violent gangster who terrorized Detroit neighborhoods gets 2 life sentences

Tresa Baldas
Detroit Free Press

In Detroit’s gang world, he was known as Cocaine Sonny — a violent, brazen criminal who the feds say terrorized neighborhoods for years in an area his crew had dubbed “4-8-2-0-Die.”

Drug dealings. Threats. Shootings. Killings.

Sonny and his cohorts did them all in Detroit’s bloody 4-8-2-0-5 ZIP Code, prosecutors said. But his reign of terror is over.

Corey Bailey, 31, aka “Cocaine Sonny,” leader of the Seven Mile Bloods gang, received two life sentences for his role in a shooting war that terrorized Detroit’s east side for years.

Corey Bailey, aka Cocaine Sonny, 31, a Seven Mile Bloods gang member from Detroit, was sentenced to two life sentences last week in U.S. District Court following his convictions on a slew of crimes: RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and gun charges.

According to prosecutors and trial evidence, Bailey was part of a gang that has long operated on the the city’s East side, between Gratiot Avenue and Kelly Road and between Seven and Eight Mile Roads. Seven Mile Bloods have claimed this area as their territory and refer to it as the “Red Zone” and “4-8-2-0-Die” in some of their rap lyrics.

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Over the years, Detroit police and the feds have zoned in on this region, where there’s been an ongoing shooting war between the Seven Mile Bloods and rival gangs stemming from a 2014 murder. These rival gangs have posted respective “hit lists” on social media, prosecutors said, and their shooting war has led to increased homicides and non-fatal shootings on Detroit’s east side.

But the feds are trying to dismantle the empire, one gang member at a time.

Alongside Bailey, Seven Mile Blood gang member Arlandis Shy, aka “Grymee” and “Vil,” 30, of Clinton Township, was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years and 4 months in prison. He was convicted of RICO conspiracy in a 10-week trial last year, with the jury deliberating for seven days before reaching the verdicts.

“These sentences should send a clear message to other members of gangs operating in the City of Detroit – our community has no tolerance for the senseless murders and violence spread by gang members,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said in announcing the sentences. “Mr. Bailey and Mr. Shy did not give a second thought to the lives they took, the harm they caused, or the terror they created in the community.”

Among those convicted in the 2018 trial are:

  • Robert Brown II, aka “R.O.,” 37, of Warren, who is awaiting sentencing on RICO conspiracy, attempted murder in aid of racketeering and firearm convictions.
  • Keithon Porter, aka “KP,” 33, of Detroit; who is awaiting sentencing after having been convicted of RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and using a gun during a deadly crime.
  • Eugene Fisher, aka “Fes,” 39, of Detroit, who is serving a 7.5-year-prison sentence after having been convicted of two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

These prosecutions were the work of the Detroit One Initiative, a task force that involves multiple agencies, including the Detroit police, FBI, DEA, Michigan State Police, U.S. Border Patrol and ICE.

The investigation further resulted in the seizure of more than 20 firearms, including several high-powered assault rifles.

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