“The Cream Team” is a group of five, but only two remain standing. Three members have been lost due to death and betrayal. This group represents a product of their environment. Two teenagers, who were talented in sports and basketball, lacked proper mentorship in their surroundings. Sports and academics were not enough for the Cream Team, as the crack game was prevalent in the early 90s. Their parents were too busy making ends meet, leaving them to become a part of the environment, which was the game.
By the time the Cream Team reached ages 16 and 17, they had become prominent figures in the game. They had significant influence over people twice their age. Like any other drug dealer, they knew the game came with a price of either jail or death. The Cream Team went to juvenile detention and TDC where they were trialed as adults, but they continued to become more involved in the game and the streets with each trip.
Even the HPD Police Staff became tired of chasing them from the blocks of Southwest Brasewood to the streets of Houston, seizing over a million dollars from the Cream Team. After experiencing significant losses, the Cream Team began to invest their money into legitimate businesses, such as record labels, sports bars, trucking companies, smoke shops, and nail salons. Once again, they steadily rose in the game with the intention of not letting up on the streets. However, they became too big for Houston and expanded to the East Coast, transporting truckloads full of weed, bricks, and syrup, then returning to Texas with cash. During this time, the Cream Team lost a soldier named “Teflon Don 6 Pack,” which was a significant loss for the group. They began to feel like it was time to stop, but the game was all they knew. No other opportunities, such as higher education or mentorship, were available to the Cream Team, leaving them and 6 Pack vulnerable to being killed. Elohim, a member of the Cream Team, declared that they would work even harder on the streets for 6 Pack.
They continued to make money, but more money meant more problems. In the midst of these problems, Ty Diety, one of the Cream Team members, almost died. He was shot with an AR-15 Assault Rifle and his family was held hostage all for money and bricks.
However, the remaining two members of the Cream Team, Elohim, and Ty Diety, kept mashing on the streets without realizing they were working with a snake who was buying from the Cream Team and also pretending to be Up and Up Standup Hustler who aboded by the G-Code. The snake was trying to take down the Cream Team forever, but the group was aware that snakes came in all shapes and colors in the game. By the time the team found out about the snake, it was too late. The Feds got a hold conspiracy on the Cream Team over 400 bricks of cocaine. So the Federal prosecutor rehearsed the snake to make up all kinds of allegations against the Cream Team, saying that he bought 100 bricks a week from the Cream Team. The case was out of Virginia, where neither of the Cream Team had ever been or visited, with no ties to Virginia.
According to Elohim, he never sold to the snake and still faced 30 years to life. Ty Diety sold to the snake a couple of times and faced 30 years to life by the Feds. The Cream Team was backed against the wall, facing life in the Feds with no options on the table. For the last Cream Team boys, their integrity is what they stand for. Working for the Feds or signing for 30 years to life was no option for the cream boys. So they took the trial where the snake got on the stand and told all kinds of lies about the Cream Team to get them put away for a very long time. All the while, Elohim had two beautiful daughters that are adults with kids now, and Ty Diety had a daughter who was in college and two 12-year-old sons. The Cream Team fell hard. Elohim was sentenced to 20 years, and Ty Diety was sentenced to 25 years. The Cream Team has been in the Feds for going on 13 years. Not a year passed by without them fighting for their freedom, they each received a denial for clemency 10 times a piece. They had tried seeking freedom through the legal system and were hoping for some monetary relief.
They had suffered for their sins and taken responsibility for their actions, even though they were sentenced for a different offense they did not commit. There was no 2-Point reduction, no CARES Act, and no First Step Act. With Elohim’s eyesight deteriorating, as I talked to him, you could hear and feel the passion and pain in his voice. For the last decade, it has been redemption for the Cream Team. They have constantly helped young men coming in fresh with no structure, becoming superior mentors to the younger generation. By putting time and energy into the youth that suffered from the very mistakes and choices that they made by choosing the game over school and sports, they have used this opportunity to improve themselves. Elohim has read several books that continue to inspire him. He has become a certified life coach and a leader/mentor to many. He has learned from his mistakes and hopes to be a life changer for many. So I asked the Cream Team what they would do differently 13 years ago. They both said they would have stopped when they lost Teflon Don 6 Pack.
The Cream Team has been a blessing to me by enlightening me on all stages of life. It is not a conversation that an individual leaves from talking to them better and more aware. The Cream Team is still fighting in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, teaching, mentoring, speaking, and providing programs to help men who cannot find their true purpose. Both Elohim and I have made wrong choices in our lives. We had chosen to pursue a path that was not right. We were partly led into this as we never had the right mentor or father figure. We hope we can help other young adults make the right choice. We hope to make the difference we can make in society. The little riches being pursued wrongly always have a bad ending, which we do not want for others. If you want to hear from the Cream Team, you can reach them through U.S. mail. They are eager to hear from you.
Edward Wilson # 80354-083
F.C.I Beaumont Camp
P.O.Box 26010
Beaumont TX, 77720 – 6010
Raymond Ty Collins #80355-083
F.C.I Beaumont Low
P.O.Box 26020
Beaumont TX, 77720 – 6020
