7mile Road in Detroit one of the most dangerous nogo zones in the USA those who live or dare to come here are playing with their lives ruled by the Seven Mile Bloods one of the most notorious gangs in the city you can't bow your way to the top I mean it just comes with the respect you get in the street drug ERS Hustlers killers and thieves prepared to do whatever it takes to defend their territory killing robbing homicide it's like a 24/7 365 deal pursued by bounty hunters who hound them down and put their lives on the line every day there's been a lot of execution Styles lately in the head two times from Detroit's noo Zone death is the main Escape Route once you in it ain't no coming [Music] out Detroit mtown once the engine that powered the American dream but while the wealthier people escaped to the suburbs the bitter reality inside the motor city became all too apparent the former Heartland of the US automobile industry is teetering on the edge of an abyss poverty crime decay for years Detroit has been considered one of the most dangerous cities in the USA and especially Infamous is 7mile Road this is an area so tough that even the police only dare tread during the day the violent crime rate is five times higher than in the rest of the country in 2018 over 13,000 crimes were reported many more occurred 7 Mile in particular is the front line for the bloody territorial battles that brutally Define this nogo Zone Detroit is located directly on the Canadian border in the US state of Michigan the infamous 7mile Road stretches from one end of the city to the other on the West Side the law of the Seven Mile Bloods is in full force it's one of the city's deadli gangs almost no one knows the true identity of the main members especially not this man gang leader money me I'm a seven M blood I join the gang it's more like yeah a family thing I come from a long line of Bloods our territory they have all the seven M on the west side today boss money has gathered together his closest capos incompetant one of them is Mo boss's right-hand man and the guy who does the rough work and under the Jason mask meech the gang Street dealer for over 10 years they've been controlling the drug trade with an iron fist anyone who gets in their way usually gets shot oh this crack crack okay all together this about little under a half a key people die for this you you wouldn't walk around with this on the street hell no main source of income crack another word for cocaine mixed with baking powder and water and then boiled up every month money sells a kilogram street value $40,000 I would get this to couple my guys in the street the drug game here is extremely dangerous you got to worry about the jackers stickup kids the police I mean just the people who just don't want to see you shine um just it comes from all angles your best friend to kill you in this game his man for the Dirty Work right-and man MO should this over the king fol I don't go out I hey I handle my business and I'm back out the way for the most part but I say keep keep you a strap that's the best way to protect yourself a bloody territorial War keeps the gang in turmoil to keep their rivals in check boss money needs a steady flow of new weapons meanwhile right-hand man MO heads over to the gang's dealer a ration of crack in his pocket even though crack saw its destructive Heyday in the80s there are still plenty of users here and it Remains the most lucrative street drug in Detroit poverty and a lack of prospects drive one in six people into drug addiction besides crack heroin and cocaine the market is flooded with opioids and Only the strongest of painkillers can kill the pain at the 7mile road deals drugs and turf wars are part of daily life on Seven Mile Bloods member Mo has to be very cautious about which route he takes when running an errand one wrong turn and it could mean his life now you see right here this this the cut off line for the territory you got that side this side you know what I mean this is where it is when somebody from the Rival side comes then yeah it's automatic problems they either can get you know a fight breakout shooting a breakout stabbing anything but it's most definite definite problems coming across the uh the territorial line which is why the gang wants to stock up on weapons defending their Turf has top priority Outsiders often don't know for sure which area they're going through it's gotten too risky for the gangs to make marking things like [Music] graffiti as far as the graffiti nobody we the gangs and everything we don't really do graffiti around here no more the graffiti part about it is old you can tell like I said obviously what color they got on if they have a certain color you can catch them uh giving handshakes you know with their homeboy identify what crew they're in and a lot of the dumb ones they get online and they name their gang and then they put their name after their gang online and that be their handle for their social media and [ __ ] like that so it's easier for the police to recognize you authorities estimate that about 100 different gangs control the streets of Detroit countless videos of shootouts and people posing with weapons are posted on the internet there The Gangs brag about what they've done and that's exactly what brought down four members of The Seven Mile Bloods after they posted their hit lists on social media the police were able to track them down and lock them [Music] up for gang member Mo it's a warning to behave as inconspicuously as possible his motto if they don't know your face they don't look for your face in the neighborhood there's not too many police because they fear for their safety too people shoot at the police and whatnot now you got like the new generation they're all drugged out to the to the fullest so they they're like zombies so The Killing is Just Reckless it it's a bad deal around here it's it's bad it's bad so yeah killing Robbin homicide is like a 24/7 365 deal for the police every assignment is a risk which is why bounty hunters are often used to go after criminals a special unit of bounty hunters prepares for their next assignment on the outskirts of downtown the team is made up of four men former elite special forces police officers and mercenaries this guy's what 26 Tommy deong leads the unit so far he's arrested over 2500 criminals he's got to be an apartment know what we're driving you got your baton you got your spray I do both vest all right let's uh ge yeah better go arm many ordinary citizens won't leave their homes anymore without a weapon over 114,000 people have Concealed Carry Permits in the Detroit Metropolitan region but the actual numbers are much higher there's been a lot of drug related Gang Related shootings and uh so Detroit PD has been doing their best to be proactive with their gang units but you can't get ahead of it fast enough for 20 years now Tommy and his partner poey have been hunting down criminals at the top of their list gang members today they're after a big fish so it's one of those cases where you get a tip every once in a while it's a guy out on bond for a pretty serious offense it was uh large amount of cocaine and uh weapons charge it's pretty much total gang culture there's some locals but Crips and bloods don't forget still kind of rule the lay of the land everywhere how much your bond on that one 50,000 wow $50,000 prize money the first Clues lead the hunters straight into the no-go Zone and who knows which criminals the bounty hunters might encounter 7 Mile that's kind of like the hot targeted Red Zone right now and there's been a lot of execution Styles lately in the head two times so it's uh they're not playing it's when somebody says that they're going to come and kill somebody we used to laugh about it 10 12 years old now they are coming to kill somebody you take it serious and unfortunately a lot of the back to the right yes take it right uh people with the guns the shooters are juveniles the bounty hunters drive to the criminals last known address standard procedure they're counting on tips about his current hangout if arrested fugitive could face 8 to 10 years in [Music] prison the hunters are are also on the lookout for smaller fish in this pond in his 50 years as a bounty hun papey the veteran of the troop has been attacked several times I think the worst one I had was out in Arizona we's out there when I got shot in the back um I was down for about two years then I of course I've been stabbed and almost lost all my fingers they had to reattach everything thing then I got hit with a bar stool in the bar trying to arrest a guy I mean it's pretty dangerous but I like it I really do as they thought no new tips but the hunters have to exhaust all their options let's keep moving they hope to get more information from the sister of The Wanted drug and weapons dealer so they sit off in her Direction despite the risk because about 32% of all those living along 7 Mile live below the poverty line for many of them the way to get easy money is by engaging in any manner of illegal activities like for right-hand man Mo he delivers the weekly ration of drugs to the the dealer of the gang what's up [Applause] my drug dealer meech supplies countless customers in the no-o zone with new merchandise his specialty crack smokable cocaine cheap to produce and a quick [Applause] High say always deliver TI quality going make a couple downs we going to make a couple 20s crack and convenient $10 rocks the stuff is so cheap that practically everyone can afford it meech Has No Reservations about selling it because if he didn't he'd be living on the streets himself you can always choose you want to be broke you want to be starving or you want to get you some affiliations I've never seen nobody do anything without any help and that's what these people around me they have allowed me to always eat so you know what I'm saying yeah you can choose it's a choice you know what I'm saying for me it was an easy choice you know I'm saying it wasn't like nobody made me do anything it was like I want to get some money the two have known each other since they were kids they grew up together while Mo makes his way to the next deal drug dealer meech gets his business going so basically my blow phone my weave phone and just me phone my phone ain't been off in five years and ain't never not been a his territory everything along 7 [Music] Mile hello I'm about to pull up right now meet me up here the dealer sells mainly to regular customers his route takes him through the territory of a rival gang if he steps over the line he'll face some hard consequences this neighborhood notorious for setting the house on fire that's like don't hustle around here that was the first time second time they coming to shoot you and kill you keep your dope the jobs that was here they ain't here everything's [ __ ] up now the culture is [ __ ] up the dope gang used to be our but it didn't change those three familiar bedfellows an employment crime and decay in many places Detroit resembles a ghost town once home to the US automobile industry major companies like Ford Chrysler and General Motors since the economic and financial crisis a lot of these factories have been empty the result huge layoffs entire sectors of the economy moved out and tax revenues have fallen to all-time lows all that's left of the American dream is a nightmare extreme poverty prevails on 7 Mile countless families can't make it without food donations steady jobs are rare although some big companies have returned the good old days are [Music] over dealer meech has found his way to earn money here sell drugs his first customer is already waiting I keep the big three that's heroin that's Coke that's crack and I just provide that service we don't think this this lifestyle we living is illegal we don't you know this is natural to me the transfer point a gas station on the west end of 7 Mile at the gas station what up do the gas stations are among the most dangerous spots along 7 Mile armed robberies blackmail and random shootings between gangs innocent people often get caught between the fronts anyone could be a victim especially at night for the people who live along Seven Mile it's all just part of their unforgiving daily life also for Michael an ex- gang member he's lived in the no-o zone since he was born gang wars flare up every week countless people have already lost family members or friends in these [Music] struggles for the station attendance all customers are suspicious at first in the no-go Zone they prefer to be protected by bulletproof glass Michael could also be a criminal or a gang member it's very necessary you know um Anything Can Happen someone could come in here you know try to reach over there or someone come in here armed try to rob the store which they ain't worry about that but uh you know it's just basically safety purpose a lot of hot spots along 7 Mile have their own special names like Michaels he lives in the so-called Red [Applause] Zone the area is located in the northeast corner with a zip code 48205 right between 7 and 8 Mile the red zone is so dangerous that some of the people who live there call it the war zone because the 7 Mile Bloods have also got their deadly finger in the pie the main problem on this area is gangs you know everybody want to be a gang Banker you know um so that creates a lot of violence you know everybody wants to uh be a blood with no hope for the future in Detroit young people are driven under the streets and directly into the hands of the waiting gangs Michael was also unable to escape their Allure the Temptation for Quick Cash got the better of him it was the birth of his youngest son that woke him up I didn't know I can make boys from the time I was 16 till the time I was 18 I was you know running the streets selling drugs you know and um by the time I was 18 that changed you know I got locked up one time wanting to stay free stay alive cuz anything you go out here thinking you going to hustle and a person kill you over [ __ ] 20 bucks you know just because they don't care about nothing Michael spent more than one year in prison since then he earns a lot less money working shifts than he did as a drug dealer he wants to show his children that there's another way besides gangs and [Music] violence uh the kids uh it's it's very important you know uh you want the kids to uh grow up to do the right thing you know um get your education cuz that's the most important thing in this world is education without that you don't have any knowledge and you don't know nothing then you're pretty much screwed a good education is expensive $11,000 for one year at a private school and government Alternatives not many of those around anymore for a long time now Detroit has been one of the largest deprived metropolitan areas in the United States in the last 15 years about 2third of all public schools have been closed the reason the collapse of the economy has had a major impact on the size of the population one once the richest city in the country it is now among the poorest as a result around 60% of all residents are believed to be illiterate just a few street corners away and a temporary shelter belonging to the 7 Mile Bloods the gang's plans for the future are taking shape gang leader money has just done some business with a gun dealer the gang will finally get some new weapons after the cash is exchanged the gun transfer takes place anonymously in one of the city's many stash houses every that status spot got to have some difference you don't keep everything in the same spot I keep a stash spot for the money keep the stash spot for the different drugs you never keep the drugs and the money in the same spot and I'll never keep all my drugs in the same spot for such a special assignment boss money only lets one man in the gang do the work his right-hand man Mo almost a third of all houses in the city are empty because only about 670,000 people still live in Detroit in its Heyday there were over 2 million for gangs and criminals the abandoned houses are the perfect stash for drugs and guns or to hide a body and while the wealthier residents of Detroit have fled to the suburbs outside the city the so-called white flight means that of those remaining in the decaying inner city almost 80% are African-Americans including Mo the right-hand man of the 7M blood leader who grew up here he earned his status over the course of many ruthless years there's definitely different ranks in the game you know you got the low level it's like pawns on the chessboard you know what I'm saying they just Expendable guys they just around you know like your army front men you got your regular generals your level two generals then your highest you got your gang Chief you know what I'm saying they pretty much call all the shots I'm well connected I'm respected with everybody so I can move freely want to you know I mean so I don't really have no certain tie I'm My Own entity you know what I mean I got my own situation going on so people respect me and they know me you know mo is getting ready for his next mission picking up the gun delivery and he never leaves his house without one of his own yeah it's definitely best to protect yourself when you come do this it's just common sense you know like they said don't bring a knife to a gunfight so shootouts with police officers shootouts with other gang members shoot out with other Crews yeah just it's a lot you know only with the requisite Firepower can they continue to dominate their territory and the other gangs because the touch paper might light at any moment meanwhile the bounty hunters have almost reached their destination their search leads them to the Border area of the 7mile Bloods where the sister of The Wanted drug and weapons dealer allegedly lives but here lower ranking gang members might cross their path just got to set once at the house they look for Clues to lead them to their target getting out of the car is not an option at the moment the danger is too great that the bounty hunters will be noticed by neighbors here the team can never know who's a friend and who's an enemy for the most part nobody wants to get involved because of the backlash and uh social media and the wildfire that how they can you know go like that if they were found out to have assisted it could be uh very serious consequences for him so the morette probably not to say anything the house appears to be empty it's getting too risky for the Bounty Huns here they abort the mission and disappear from the scene [Music] Shad during a short break the neighbor from before reappears he's one of the good guys and wants to help the team couple doors down man there was two doors down to your right with the way you were staying on in there no but it's just Rhonda and her uh her brother live there now well that covers that up good that keeps us from sitting out there bugging weing the neighborhood sitting there wasting time burning daylight a setback the wanted man is not at his sister's house there you go brother on that's my cell shoot me if you would text me your cell just if we get anything hot back this way we get some ears and eyes on it before of course if you see him shot me a text I'll take a picture and shoot that to you down in there no hope the bounty hunters have informant all over the city gra it for a hot tip with a successful outcome they'll pay up to $11,000 right now they're waiting for some feedback from their most important contact only a few street corners away drug dealer meech is making his deal at a gas station on 7 Mile hop in hop in hop in two rocks for $20 one after the other dealer meech makes the deliveries to his regular customers so far he's collected about $250 he considers the danger that one of the junkies will blow his cover to be low I don't I don't really do the Shady spots and stuff like that we go pull up real quick I know the general area that I'm pulling up I pretty much everything's familiar so you know you see some faces you don't see some faces you see and they don't look right gonee certain people stick out in this neighborhood I can smell that type of [ __ ] I'll be there in a minute he's careful he only gives his number to Loyal friends and helpers of the gang what upo [Music] even with just small quantities meech can take in up to $1,500 a day around here only dealers make that much money or prostitutes a few blocks away directly next to 7 m is Grand River Avenue a favorite spot where love is for sale without an education or a high school diploma many women see only one option to make money walk the streets among them is Star 24 years old star has been walking the streets almost every day for the past 5 years these days she only has one goal make as much money as possible you know living out here you just got to know how to survive you know some people base their life on love some people base their life on Survival you know it's hard but you just do it at night it's even more dangerous on the streets especially at the spots along the noggo [Music] Zone if it's a rough night um I go out about 10 you know what I'm saying and try to hustle up on something you know but other than that try to keep my regulars you know so that's how I get guaranteed [ __ ] I got kids out here I got to make sure I could send money home you know trying to see two 3,000 a day a th000 a day at least at on a low day cuz if it's not that then what else is it star hustles without a pimp as a single mother she's out on her own the streets have their own laws and everyone knows the unofficial rulers of s mile that's the Bloods really who you know be over there like they running just [ __ ] you know like they they the top dog when I say on top you know what I'm saying they they out here they getting off you anyone who messes with a gang is not like ly to survive the encounter even Star had to learn this the hard way the tattoo on her upper arm do it for Thrill is a tribute to her murdered [Music] brother he was a blood you know he killed him and left his body by a dumpster in a car and tried to make it seem like he killed himself they know he a't he had he Graz his head and he had got shot in yes mhm left him in the car and pulled up to like a abandoned dumpster he got set up by his homeboy that [ __ ] real out here for real [ __ ] people get killed every day [ __ ] all over you know what I'm saying it ain't just us but [ __ ] it's rough out here for real it's like [ __ ] War zones in some places and innocent people getting k for reason [ __ ] people like meting Ked for no reason they just the girl body naked as [ __ ] in Miller Street [ __ ] so in her job she never knows what night might be her last she can't count on protection from anyone on the streets [ __ ] if a [ __ ] want to rob you take your money cuz [ __ ] is po out here [ __ ] what the [ __ ] can you do yeah it's been some [ __ ] [ __ ] that Rob me snatch me up drop me off set me up all that [ __ ] the quick money lets her forget about the potential consequences assault robbery and more recently murder the police believe a Serial murderer is on the loose his prey of choice prostitutes but star keeps going back to the street meanwhile the Bounty Huns are back out they're still waiting for a tip from their informants for gang member Mo it's time to get going his mission to pick up the gang's long awaited weapon shipment everyone's waiting for Darkness to fall in one of the most dangerous cities in the USA as Knight desc ends the entire length of 7 m is transformed into a deadly noo Zone the risk of being murdered in Detroit is 11 times higher than New York City an endless gang war holds the city in its clutches once police show up a showdown is usually already over the residents have but one chance to survive the night don't leave the house after dark my also stays within his own four walls want [Music] to see it on the news every day yeah I don't think there's a day that go by that I turn on the news and uh it doesn't say anything about someone innocent getting hurt or just you know someone get shot period you know uh we just had a holiday in that one day we had over 20 shoes shootings and crime nothing new to him Michael's house is positioned directly in the death zone I definitely want to move out of Detroit out of the Red Zone it's just going to take me uh working my ass off to do it his dream a new home for his children so the same fate does not befall them like many others here joining a gang or selling their body on the other side of s mile the street walker business is picking up anyone who walks the streets here at night is playing with their life but star sees no other way out the brutal conditions of life in Detroit have stolen her dreams I was 17 uh my mom like I said she wasn't around [ __ ] I was with my grandparents and then we needed money and I was out here you know I fell in love with this dude and he introduced me to the fast life I'm still thankful for him cuz I touch bands with them I touch money real money with him but [ __ ] he got me out here in this with this hustle once you in and they no coming out it ain't no getting out of this I mean some people do some people get married let that good life but people like me don't get it that sweet you got to [Music] work prostitution is illegal in the state of Michigan if star is caught she could face a 500 fine and 93 days in jail I'm not trying to get locked up and they be out here rolling all up and down here you know what I'm saying all up and down 7 m all up and up all up and down Grand River [ __ ] and I'm not trying to get popped or knocked off you know what I'm saying [ __ ] I got warrants out here I'm not trying to get arrested I don't need [ __ ] on my record but [ __ ] females out here they set you up on the street there's one thing besides the police least that can also be a danger for star other prostitutes the women fight fiercely for their territory with knives or even guns it's tense with the other prostitute star decides to back off and keep [Music] safe a warning shot just one of many in The Last 5 Years there have been more than 1,500 shootings over 700 people lost their lives gang member Mo always has his gun at hand a drug dealer has left the gang's latest delivery in one of the empty stash houses [Music] before I go in somewhere somebody's house like I said definitely got my artillery I got my gun it's already loaded One in the Chamber ready to go it's like it's in AB abandoned house you know it's used for stash so like I said it's really it's under a 50% safety chance going in them mo can never be certain if anyone is still hiding in the house or if the gun dealer is planning to Ambush him he simply has to risk [Music] it not so far away from gang member Mo the bounty hunters are still looking for The Wanted drug and weapons dealer then in aile turn right bad boys this time of again yes we are okay thank you leader Tommy finally gets a tip from his informant it seems the man they're looking for is hiding out in an abandoned house all right so we got the tip right yeah it's right here so we'll just go down the street check it out let's check the front first check for any doors or any loose Uh Wood on the Windows see if we can get a peek inside and then if there's nothing in the front let's get around the back cuz that's most likely where they're going to gain entrance into the building all right watch your asss the leads are all starting to come together there's a light on inside the empty house some he's definitely been in and out of there if Tommy and his team find the criminals here they they stand to we in a bounty of $50,000 in the meantime The Prostitute star has found a new street corner and hopes there won't be any shootings here tonight that [ __ ] is territorial you know women don't play about their spot out here so [ __ ] if they used to be in out here and most of these hoes out here they got pimps and [ __ ] you know what I'm saying so um if they feel like it's a problem they going to step or they going to send their pimp and I'm a female by myself you know what I'm saying so I be having to move around fast you know and she needs the money she still hasn't been able to scrape together enough to cover her expenses this month star charges $200 an hour 600 for half the [Music] night after over 1 hour an interested trick shows up finally a chance to earn some [Music] money they seem to have come to an agreement but in a city like Detroit star can never be too sure about who she's getting in the car with a few Corners away the bounty hunters are closer to their t Target than they've ever been they're following a hot tip about The Wanted dealer and it's taking them straight into the nogo Zone it's secured all right it's empty just don't see like he' be was the informant wrong the house seems sealed off except for a door to the basement B enforcement anybody in there Bad Boys Bail show your hands [Music] but the operation proves fruitless nothing no trace of The Wanted dealer the men had been hoping for more basement and everything was clear some duct uh now it's clear so God there's we thought we had the building that was secur but we get in there we find a rat hole we go in there and thought sure somebody'd be in there but no one's in there so again uh the chase continues there's nothing left for them to do but wait for a new tip which could come tonight or tomorrow then they can continue their hunt at the same time gang member Mo also finds himself in an abandoned house his mission pick up the the gun delivery for the gang few guns inside the bag your serial number scratched off the weapons weapons are never registered then we got to handle some situations with our enemies with the rest of them the Rival Crews cuz we had a situation mission accomplished the new weapons will make sure the gang can continue continue to dominate their territory at the current Hideout of the 7 Mile Bloods boss money and the rest of the gang wait for the fresh delivery because guns mean [Applause] power the latest in their Arsenal the Beretta M9 and handguns like the 9mm revolver above all light and easy to hide a pistol like that cost about $100 in the black market mean money came you can't you can't buy your way to the top I mean it just comes with the respect you get in the street I had to do some things out here because you got to protect your name in the nogo Zone along 7 m in Detroit it's the survival of the fittest each and every day every day and night prostitute star is back on the street she's waiting for more tricks in the hopes that at least her children will have a better life the goal is to move to get away from all of this [ __ ] I just got to stack enough money to be able to take my babies away I'm not there yet but I'm almost there gang leader money can imagine only one direction for himself in the gang keep getting bigger and more powerful his solution is simple the ones with the money has the power like cuz the money you can do what you want so it's just it's get the most money other gangsters try to get out of this mess including Mo but he knows there's no escape from the downward spiral it's inevitable something negative going to happen I keep doing this is you know I got a family kids and I want to see them but for right now like you know we don't really think that far about the future is like a day-to-day thing because anyone who lives here learns and learns quickly no one can escape their fate they can only play the game the bounty hunters are back on the prowl most important thing about their work never lose your courage it's not always easy but you know we got to do what we got to do to keep business going and bring back the fugitives and the people on the run and then try to be the keepers of the light right because new recruits are already lurking on the streets crime violence drugs and murder in the noo Z the chances of getting out are basically zero [Music]