by Ran Britt
Edward Hanserd was born October 12, 1963 and raised on the eastside of Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in the gang-ridden, impoverished, northeast Detroit neighborhood of Osborn. Before dropping out he attended Osborn High School, which has been described as having the appearance of a prison. Ironically, "Big Ed" would ultimately only grow to 5'6. Hanserd made his first steps toward becoming a druglord as a low level marijuana dealer. While his marijuana business eventually provided him with a sizable income, he still hadn't attained the kind of success realized by two childhood associates, Maserati Rick Carter and Demetrius Holloway. In fact, Carter and Holloway and their Best Friends drug network, who were higher up on the illegal drug food chain, were Hanserd's initial suppliers.
Eventually, Hanserd's success and ambition led him to break away from the Best Friends umbrella in order to establish himself independently of the by now preeminent drug organization on the eastside of Detroit. Hanserd negotiated with notorious California crack kingpin Rick Ross for a steady supply of cocaine, which allowed him to step out from underneath the shadow of Carter's organization. Hanserd expanded his inventory to crack cocaine and marketed his personalized brand of the drug, which he named "Tutti-Frutti". In order to conceal the true source of his earnings, he purchased hair salons and cultivated a public image of a successful entrepreneur. One of these salons, located on Jefferson Avenue - a main Detroit thoroughfare, quickly became Hanserd's base of operations.
At some point, Hanserd and Carter's relationship devolved into a professional and personal rivalry. There is some dispute as to the origin of the fued between Hanserd and Carter. While some attribute the hostilities to a debt owed to Carter from Big Ed, others trace the bad blood to Hanserd's expansion into territory already held by Carter. Still others ascribe the tension to Hanserd's eschewing of Carter as his exclusive supplier in favor of an outside connection in California. Whatever the source may have been, the conflict which initially manifested itself through rumored unflattering words (Big Ed is said to have claimed that his nickname was given to him by Carter's mother), in the summer of 1987 it progressed to a public face-to-face argument in the Unisex Hair Salon owned by Hanserd and eventually led to shootouts and murder attempts between the two.
As Hanserd's business grew, he inevitably found himself both competing with his former associates and racking up arrests. In 1987, Hanserd and a few of his employees were pulled over in downtown Los Angeles by LAPD officers who declined to make a formal arrest but determined that Hanserd was in possession of a new Mercedes-Benz 500SE, Porsche and Ferrari - not to mention several false identification cards.
Within months, Hanserd was involved in a shootout with Carter back in Detroit. The exchange of automatic gunfire resulted in Hanserd being shot in the stomach and left to recuperate for months. When questioned by police Hanserd refused to name his attackers, instead declaring that he'd "handle it" himself. In an effort to escape the danger and police pressure Big Ed temporarily relocated to Yazoo City, Mississippi. In an attempt to maintain a low profile he purchased a home in the name of his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Jacobs. Ironically, in light of Hanserd's intention to go unnoticed, the frequent comings and goings of his associates via high-priced luxury and sports cars as well as the armed guards patrolling the grounds did garner unwarranted attention, with local residents describing the home as a fortified compound.
Big Ed's drug-running operation continued while he was away and the Hanserd organization's profile rose dramatically with law enforcement around this time.
In February of 1988, Hanserd was detained by Louisiana state police following a traffic stop wherein $198,000 in cash was seized. Another traffic stop in March resulted in the seizure of 31 kilos of cocaine from Hanserd associate, Nathaniel Wilson. In addition to the seizures, Hanserd was also arrested and charged with weapons violations on three separate occasions as well as a few DUIs.
During an arrest for a weapons violation he was quoted as telling the arresting officers, "I am going to get Maserati Rick, and then I am going to get you". Ironically, Hanserd was soon arrested during yet another traffic stop while driving a Maserati. Officers seized $3,000 more dollars of Hanserd's cash. Nevertheless, Hanserd was eventually released and made his return to Detroit where he resumed his war with Carter.
In all, Carter is said to have made three attempts on Big Ed's life, but the hostilities were very much mutual. Big Ed reportedly participated in a drive-by of Carter's mother's home while she was standing on the front porch holding Carter's 2-year old son. Two months later Big Ed tried again - this time the drive-by target was the mother of Carter's son. Big Ed however got the address wrong and instead shot up the house belonging to the next door neighbor of his intended victim. On September 10, 1988 a shootout ensued outside of one of Carter's car washes when Hanserd and another man opened fire on him. Carter was left wounded in the stomach (similar to the one suffered by Hanserd in their first exchange of gunfire) and Hanserd and his associate were both shot in the arm. None of the participants cooperated with police investigators.
Two days later while Carter was being treated for the injuries he sustained in the shooting, one of Hanserd's enforcers, Lodrick "The Hitman" Parker entered his hospital room at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital. When Parker left the room (number 307) Carter was dead from gunshots to the face. The 29-year-old was officially pronounced dead at 6:01 pm. The assailant, Parker, was reputed to be the third man present during Carter and Hanserd's final confrontation. Hanserd himself had an airtight alibi as he was in police custody for unlawful possession of a firearm during the time of the shooting. Hanserd denied any involvement in the shooting and simply confessed to investigators that he'd once thrown a brick through the window of one of Carter's car washes. Carter's murder became the first time that there was a shooting inside the hospital in it's 50 year history. The circumstances of his killing resulted in a permanent change in hospital policy throughout the city and increased security measures and screening for visitors.
In January of 1990, Hanserd was once again targeted in a traffic stop while driving a brand new Ford Bronco which he'd purchased two days earlier. The stop netted police a seizure of $369,000 of Hanserd's cash. In March of that year Hanserd was apprehended after a police chase that ended in a four-car pile-up that included Hanserd's BMW. He was again charged with weapons violations when a search of his car turned up a MAC-10 and an Israeli assault rifle.
Two years after Carter's murder, Hanserd was questioned in the kidnapping and disappearance of Carter's business partner, Demetrius Holloway. Eventually, it was revealed that Holloway had orchestrated his own public, but faked, kidnapping in an attempt to evade both his rivals and law enforcement. On October 8, 1990, Holloway was shot in the back of the head while shopping in his favorite store. As with Carter's murder two years earlier, the triggerman was Lodrick Parker and again Hanserd was in police custody at the time of Holloway's shooting.
In late 1990, several of Hanserd's hair salons were firebombed. Hanserd was brought to trial when one of his associates, Anthony Medina, began cooperating with federal prosecutors during their investigation against him for drug trafficking. Hanserd and his attorney Stephen Rabaut learned that his organization faced 24 counts related to drug trafficking when the federal indictment was unsealed on August 2, 1990. Prosecutors estimated that Hanserd trafficked upwards of 200 kilos of cocaine from 1984 to 1990 and generated $54 million annually in narcotics sales at his peak. According to law enforcement, he was shot 9 times on three separate occasions. In 1991, Hanserd pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and two counts of using a firearm in a drug trafficking offense. On May 9, 1991 he was sentenced to 30 years on the conspiracy count and five years each on the firearms charges. Hanserd was transported to the medium-security federal prison FCI Pekin in Pekin, Illinois and later to FCI Victorville, a medium-security federal prison in Victorville, California. He is currently completing his sentence in a halfway-house in Sacramento, CA and is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2016.
Related:
Edward Hanserd was born October 12, 1963 and raised on the eastside of Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in the gang-ridden, impoverished, northeast Detroit neighborhood of Osborn. Before dropping out he attended Osborn High School, which has been described as having the appearance of a prison. Ironically, "Big Ed" would ultimately only grow to 5'6. Hanserd made his first steps toward becoming a druglord as a low level marijuana dealer. While his marijuana business eventually provided him with a sizable income, he still hadn't attained the kind of success realized by two childhood associates, Maserati Rick Carter and Demetrius Holloway. In fact, Carter and Holloway and their Best Friends drug network, who were higher up on the illegal drug food chain, were Hanserd's initial suppliers.
Eventually, Hanserd's success and ambition led him to break away from the Best Friends umbrella in order to establish himself independently of the by now preeminent drug organization on the eastside of Detroit. Hanserd negotiated with notorious California crack kingpin Rick Ross for a steady supply of cocaine, which allowed him to step out from underneath the shadow of Carter's organization. Hanserd expanded his inventory to crack cocaine and marketed his personalized brand of the drug, which he named "Tutti-Frutti". In order to conceal the true source of his earnings, he purchased hair salons and cultivated a public image of a successful entrepreneur. One of these salons, located on Jefferson Avenue - a main Detroit thoroughfare, quickly became Hanserd's base of operations.
At some point, Hanserd and Carter's relationship devolved into a professional and personal rivalry. There is some dispute as to the origin of the fued between Hanserd and Carter. While some attribute the hostilities to a debt owed to Carter from Big Ed, others trace the bad blood to Hanserd's expansion into territory already held by Carter. Still others ascribe the tension to Hanserd's eschewing of Carter as his exclusive supplier in favor of an outside connection in California. Whatever the source may have been, the conflict which initially manifested itself through rumored unflattering words (Big Ed is said to have claimed that his nickname was given to him by Carter's mother), in the summer of 1987 it progressed to a public face-to-face argument in the Unisex Hair Salon owned by Hanserd and eventually led to shootouts and murder attempts between the two.
As Hanserd's business grew, he inevitably found himself both competing with his former associates and racking up arrests. In 1987, Hanserd and a few of his employees were pulled over in downtown Los Angeles by LAPD officers who declined to make a formal arrest but determined that Hanserd was in possession of a new Mercedes-Benz 500SE, Porsche and Ferrari - not to mention several false identification cards.
 |
| Big Ed (left) |
Within months, Hanserd was involved in a shootout with Carter back in Detroit. The exchange of automatic gunfire resulted in Hanserd being shot in the stomach and left to recuperate for months. When questioned by police Hanserd refused to name his attackers, instead declaring that he'd "handle it" himself. In an effort to escape the danger and police pressure Big Ed temporarily relocated to Yazoo City, Mississippi. In an attempt to maintain a low profile he purchased a home in the name of his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Jacobs. Ironically, in light of Hanserd's intention to go unnoticed, the frequent comings and goings of his associates via high-priced luxury and sports cars as well as the armed guards patrolling the grounds did garner unwarranted attention, with local residents describing the home as a fortified compound.
Big Ed's drug-running operation continued while he was away and the Hanserd organization's profile rose dramatically with law enforcement around this time.
In February of 1988, Hanserd was detained by Louisiana state police following a traffic stop wherein $198,000 in cash was seized. Another traffic stop in March resulted in the seizure of 31 kilos of cocaine from Hanserd associate, Nathaniel Wilson. In addition to the seizures, Hanserd was also arrested and charged with weapons violations on three separate occasions as well as a few DUIs.
During an arrest for a weapons violation he was quoted as telling the arresting officers, "I am going to get Maserati Rick, and then I am going to get you". Ironically, Hanserd was soon arrested during yet another traffic stop while driving a Maserati. Officers seized $3,000 more dollars of Hanserd's cash. Nevertheless, Hanserd was eventually released and made his return to Detroit where he resumed his war with Carter.
Maserati Rick
In all, Carter is said to have made three attempts on Big Ed's life, but the hostilities were very much mutual. Big Ed reportedly participated in a drive-by of Carter's mother's home while she was standing on the front porch holding Carter's 2-year old son. Two months later Big Ed tried again - this time the drive-by target was the mother of Carter's son. Big Ed however got the address wrong and instead shot up the house belonging to the next door neighbor of his intended victim. On September 10, 1988 a shootout ensued outside of one of Carter's car washes when Hanserd and another man opened fire on him. Carter was left wounded in the stomach (similar to the one suffered by Hanserd in their first exchange of gunfire) and Hanserd and his associate were both shot in the arm. None of the participants cooperated with police investigators.
Two days later while Carter was being treated for the injuries he sustained in the shooting, one of Hanserd's enforcers, Lodrick "The Hitman" Parker entered his hospital room at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital. When Parker left the room (number 307) Carter was dead from gunshots to the face. The 29-year-old was officially pronounced dead at 6:01 pm. The assailant, Parker, was reputed to be the third man present during Carter and Hanserd's final confrontation. Hanserd himself had an airtight alibi as he was in police custody for unlawful possession of a firearm during the time of the shooting. Hanserd denied any involvement in the shooting and simply confessed to investigators that he'd once thrown a brick through the window of one of Carter's car washes. Carter's murder became the first time that there was a shooting inside the hospital in it's 50 year history. The circumstances of his killing resulted in a permanent change in hospital policy throughout the city and increased security measures and screening for visitors.
Hanserd's top enforcer, Lodrick Parker
In January of 1990, Hanserd was once again targeted in a traffic stop while driving a brand new Ford Bronco which he'd purchased two days earlier. The stop netted police a seizure of $369,000 of Hanserd's cash. In March of that year Hanserd was apprehended after a police chase that ended in a four-car pile-up that included Hanserd's BMW. He was again charged with weapons violations when a search of his car turned up a MAC-10 and an Israeli assault rifle.
Two years after Carter's murder, Hanserd was questioned in the kidnapping and disappearance of Carter's business partner, Demetrius Holloway. Eventually, it was revealed that Holloway had orchestrated his own public, but faked, kidnapping in an attempt to evade both his rivals and law enforcement. On October 8, 1990, Holloway was shot in the back of the head while shopping in his favorite store. As with Carter's murder two years earlier, the triggerman was Lodrick Parker and again Hanserd was in police custody at the time of Holloway's shooting.
In late 1990, several of Hanserd's hair salons were firebombed. Hanserd was brought to trial when one of his associates, Anthony Medina, began cooperating with federal prosecutors during their investigation against him for drug trafficking. Hanserd and his attorney Stephen Rabaut learned that his organization faced 24 counts related to drug trafficking when the federal indictment was unsealed on August 2, 1990. Prosecutors estimated that Hanserd trafficked upwards of 200 kilos of cocaine from 1984 to 1990 and generated $54 million annually in narcotics sales at his peak. According to law enforcement, he was shot 9 times on three separate occasions. In 1991, Hanserd pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and two counts of using a firearm in a drug trafficking offense. On May 9, 1991 he was sentenced to 30 years on the conspiracy count and five years each on the firearms charges. Hanserd was transported to the medium-security federal prison FCI Pekin in Pekin, Illinois and later to FCI Victorville, a medium-security federal prison in Victorville, California. He is currently completing his sentence in a halfway-house in Sacramento, CA and is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2016.
Updated 6/11/16
Related:
3 comments:
Great article.
Do you have any video of that? I'd want to find out
some additional information.
Hi my loved one! I wish to say that this article is awesome,
great written and include almost all significant
infos. I'd like to see more posts like this .
Post a Comment