BY STEPHEN GURR

Authorities say the arrest of a Gainesville man on drug charges Friday brought to an end a six-week undercover investigation that broke up a significant crack cocaine ring in Hall County.

Kemeca Dukes, 32, was arrested Friday by officers with the Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad at an apartment on McEver Extension on charges of sale of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, Lt. Scott Ware said.

Dukes and his twin brother, Kecole Dukes, were suspected of running a local crack cocaine distribution operation that dealt the drugs across the county, Ware said. Kecole Dukes was arrested earlier this month.

Ware said the brothers had been suspected of dealing crack for years.

Three other Gainesville men, Abdullah Muhammad, 30, Cedric Calvin Reeves, 26, and Edwin Sanchez-Soler, 45, are suspected of helping sell crack with the twins, Ware said.

The sales occurred "throughout Hall County," including the Harrison Square government housing apartments as well as McEver Extension and a residence off Atlanta Highway, Ware said.

The suspects dealt in larger quantities of crack cocaine known on the street as "slabs," Ware said.

The suspects were recorded making drug transactions over the phone and dealt crack to undercover operatives in $100 transactions, usually involving five $20 "rocks" of crack cocaine, Ware said.

Some of the suspects are accused of possessing several ounces of cocaine that would go for thousands of dollars on the street, Ware said.

The investigation began in late August and ended Friday, Ware said.

All five suspects remained Friday in the Hall County Jail.