Three 6 Mafia Relative Indicted for Murder, Drug Dealing

Craig Petties, half-brother of Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul Beauregard, is in a whole lot of trouble. The Memphis native has been indicted for at least six murders related to his drug trade, for which he has also been indicted for the distribution of hundreds of kilos of cocaine and marijuana throughout Memphis and the South. Petties has been pegged with a 50-count indictment, a charge that could result in the death penalty.

The Feds allege that Petties began his drug cartel in 1995 and ran his trade remotely from Queretaro, Mexico until 2008, allying with a branch of the Sinaloa cartel and making connections with a large number of associates. Petties sold the drugs through pop-up businesses, under which he laundered his illegal income.

The indictment claims that Petties was also involved in the murders of several men, including a member of rap group The Grenade Posse, who were killed under the suspicion that they were either informants or rivals to Petties' cartel. After being on the run for seven years, Petties was finally pinched by the Feds, who seized over $3 million in assets as well as over 40 vehicles and $600,000 in cash.

The 34-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently in prison awaiting trial; a date has not yet been set. If Petties is found guilty, the maximum penalty for the stack of crimes in aide of racketeering is life imprisonment or death. Three 6 Mafia has yet to release a statement on the matter, but they are believed to have no involvement in the case.

Three 6 Mafia, who won an Academy Award for their song 'It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp' in 2005, is awaiting the release of their tenth studio album, 'Laws of Power'. DJ Paul released his third album, 'Too Kill Again: The Album,' earlier this year.