Illegal Poker Den Raided At Dukes Place
July 27, 2010 6:33 amDukes Place in Cincinnati was raided in the early hours of Sunday morning, after months of investigation revealed that it was the scene of an illegal gambling, narcotics and weapons business.
Over a hundred police officers and FBI agents were involved in the raid, which netted more than a $1 million in cash, cocaine, marijuana and stolen goods.
Business owner Derek Ragan (40) has now been arrested in connection with money laundering, running an illegal gambling operation, as well as gun charges.
Derek Ragan ran the convenience store business named Duke’s Place, located at Linn and Oliver Streets. But, as one officer explains:
“You got past door with buzzer, had to ring another door which allowed someone to look at you through closed circuit TV. Once you got past the locked door, there was high stakes gambling going on.”
However, it was at least seven murders with links to Dukes Place which led police to investigating the business in the first place.
In 2005, brothers Dion Ackemon and William Roland disappeared presumed murdered. In 2007, Terry Dennis was on his way to see Ragan when he was shot and killed in his car, and in 2008, a hired contract killer lead police officers to a warehouse building opposite Duke’s Place in the hunt for dead bodies.
Homicide detectives are now investigating any possible involvement Derek Ragan may have had with these murders.
In the meantime, in order to protect key witnesses a judge has set Ragan a one million dollars bond. Sixteen of his employees and customers were also arrested during the raid, with ages ranging from 23 to 80.