Gainesville men convicted of distributing crack cocaine

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Twin brothers Kecole Dukes and Kemeca Dukes have been convicted of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of crack cocaine.  Both Dukes’ were on parole having recently served a sentence for selling crack cocaine.

“Crack cocaine is still a scourge in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “These defendants are career offenders, and have multiple convictions for distributing crack cocaine in the past.  “They are now facing lengthy sentences in federal prison where there is no parole.”

“Removing drugs and the criminals who illegally deal in them has a positive impact in our communities and contributes to stabilizing those areas which are more susceptible to violent criminal activity,” said ATF Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Arthur Peralta. “This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who destroy their communities by flooding their streets with drugs.  Our communities have had enough and it’s though collaborations with our federal, state, local, and community partners that we can have a positive and long lasting effect.”

“We appreciate the efforts of the ATF and Hall County MANS Unit in investigating and apprehending these individuals who continued to distribute crack cocaine into the Gainesville community after having been convicted multiple times on drug offenses,” said Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Lee Darragh. “We would also like to thank the jurors for their service and verdict.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: From August 2015 to October 2016, Kemeca Dukes and Kecole Dukes, who are twin brothers, conspired to sell crack cocaine on multiple occasions to informants working for ATF and the Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (MANS) Unit. Kemeca Dukes was the primary contact for the informants and sold varying quantities of crack cocaine to them on 10 occasions. Kecole Dukes sold or provided crack cocaine to the informants on three occasions and acted as a lookout for his brother on other occasions when Kemeca Dukes met with the informants to sell them crack cocaine.

During the conspiracy both Kemeca Dukes and Kecole Dukes were on parole with the State of Georgia. Both were convicted in Hall County Superior Court in 2011, for selling crack cocaine and both were released in 2014. Both brothers were back selling crack cocaine less than a year later.

On March 23, 2018, Kemeca Dukes, 40, of Gainesville, Georgia pleaded guilty to one count of distributing crack cocaine.  On March 29, 2018, Kecole Dukes, 40, also of Gainesville, Georgia was found guilty by a federal court jury of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute at least 28 grams of crack cocaine and distributing at least 28 grams of crack cocaine and three counts of distributing crack cocaine.

Sentencing for the Dukes’ has not yet been scheduled.

This case was investigated jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hall County MANS Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William L. McKinnon, Jr. and Erin E. Sanders and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Hall County Assistant District Attorney Juliet Aldridge prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.