The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

‘Ghost’ Gets 28 Years in Federal Prison

Posted on | July 28, 2024 | 1 Comment

Darrick Dernard Bell was known by a dozen aliases, including “Ghost” and “Tone,” during the years when he made the Victory Inn in Detroit a “house of horrors” before his criminal operation was busted and the sleazy hotel was demolished in 2018. Bell had six prior felony convictions, including second-degree murder in 1996, and why he was ever released from prison is something of a mystery, except to note that Detroit’s last Republican mayor left office in 1962. Even in that very bad city, however, the Victory Inn was notorious:

The building fell under the local spotlight in January 2017, when about 150 people from multiple agencies executed a federal search warrant at the motel as part of an ongoing investigation. The raid, which occurred on Jan. 12, found human trafficking victims, drugs, drug paraphernalia, a gun, evidence of drug use and dozens of cell phones, a federal court document said.
“Several of those human trafficking victims spoke with law enforcement and confirmed widespread and ongoing prostitution and drug distribution from the Victory Inn,” the document said. . . .
According to Detroit police, the Victory Inn, which is flanked by a topless club and an adult bookstore, had been a longtime problem. In 2016, Detroit police made 115 runs to the motel, which saw two shootings, numerous aggravated assaults, robberies and two homicides in which the victims were traced back to the Victory Inn.

I’m old enough to remember when Hollywood made movies like Pretty Woman, which portrayed prostitution as glamorous, and I’m also old enough to remember when rock stars like Glenn Frey sang songs that depicted drug trafficking as an exciting adventure. The squalid reality at the Victory Inn ought to be turned into a movie, as a warning to anyone who might be deceived by such myth-making. When the feds raided the Victory Inn, they didn’t find Bell and he was a fugitive for more than two years before the U.S. Marshals caught him in July 2019.

Bell had cocaine and $12,000 in cash on him when they caught him at a cheap motel in Monroe, about 40 miles south of Detroit. While his accused co-conspirators pleaded guilty, Bell went to trial and was convicted on the drug charges, but the jury couldn’t reach guilty verdicts on the pimping accusations, an outcome perhaps based on the principle of “you can’t believe them lyin’ hoes.” So it would put me at risk of a libel suit were I to call Darrick Bell a pimp, but readers can draw their own conclusions. I’ll merely quote the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

Darrick Bell, the leader of a large-scale drug conspiracy that operated out of the former Victory Inn hotel in Dearborn, Michigan, was sentenced today to 28 years in prison based on his conviction on drug trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. . . .
Bell, age 55, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith.
The charges on which Bell was convicted stemmed from the operation of a large-scale drug operation Bell created utilizing the Victory Inn, a motel formerly located next to the main drag for prostitution on Michigan Avenue.
The trial, which began on April 12, 2022, and concluded on June 2, 2022, involved more than 20 witnesses, including several of Bell’s co-conspirators and victims, along with hundreds of exhibits. The jury convicted Bell on three drug-related counts. The jury acquitted Bell on one count involving sex trafficking and was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining four counts involving sex trafficking. . . .
There was often no vacancy at the Victory Inn because the rooms were full of women and victims living in unspeakable conditions as severe drug addicts. Bell would supply drugs to these women. The women would use the drugs, engage in commercial sex acts, and then would use the money from their dates to purchase more drugs. The women were trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction, which Bell exploited for financial gain. Bell and his co-conspirators would use violence or the threat of violence to ensure that the women continuously paid their ever-growing drug debt. This would include physically striking them or withholding drugs so they would go through excruciating withdrawal symptoms. In one instance, Bell shaved the head of one of the women.
“Today’s sentencing closes a chapter on the house of horrors that was the Victory Inn. Just as the motel was demolished, so too was the drug network Bell had organized and led for nearly a year. Bell’s rein and control over the women living at the Victory Inn was nothing short of abhorrent,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “Bell’s attempt at evading justice for over two and a half years failed, and he will now spend the next 28 years in prison for his actions.”

“No Vacancy at the Victory Inn.” It’s not a romantic comedy. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere won’t be starring in that movie.



 

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Category: Crime, Michigan

Comments

One Response to “‘Ghost’ Gets 28 Years in Federal Prison”

  1. Why don’t we put violent predators away forever? | If You are Left you ain't Right
    July 28th, 2024 @ 10:21 am

    […] The Other McCain ponders this as well while writing about an evil miscreant, “Ghost” […]