BARNSTABLE, Mass. — Two Nantucket men and a Wareham man are accused of trafficking cocaine after a multi-town investigation following an overdose death on Cape Cod, the district attorney said Friday.
William Sarnie, 62, and Edward Gillespie, 62, both of Nantucket, and Andre Silvia, 56, of Wareham, are facing a slew of drug charges, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois said in a statement.
Sarnie and Silvia were arrested and held without bail pending their arraignments.
Sarnie faced a judge on Friday. He is charged with conspiracy to violate drug law felony, trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, and distribution of Class B, cocaine.
Silvia is charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to violate drug law felony. He will be arraigned in the Barnstable District Court, Galibois said. Silvia is also charged in Wareham District Court with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine and other drug-related charges.
Gillespie was charged with trafficking cocaine over 200 Grams and was arraigned in the Barnstable District Court on Jan. 9. He is due back in court on March 25.
The investigation began in November, when members of the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office investigated a fatal overdose in Barnstable County.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that the cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by cocaine intoxication, Galibois said.
Investigators later identified Silvia as the main supplier of the cocaine, Galibois said. Sarnie was also tied to Silvia through an investigation by the Barnstable Police Department.
On Jan. 8, Barnstable Police detectives arrested Gillespie as he prepared to transport a kilo of cocaine from Hyannis to Nantucket, Galibois said.
Gillespie “was identified as a narcotics supplier, trafficking cocaine from Hyannis to the island,” Galibois said.
After Gillespie’s arrest, Barnstable detectives executed a search warrant at his Nantucket home.
With the support of the Nantucket Police Detective Unit, U.S. Coast Guard, and Cape Cod DEA office, a search of Gillespie’s home yielded additional quantities of cocaine, amphetamines, evidence of narcotics trafficking and approximately $10,000 in US currency, Galibois said.
Investigators obtained search warrants for homes on Nantucket and in Wareham and executed those warrants on Thursday.
The investigation involved members of the Cape & Islands State Police Detective Unit, Barnstable Police, DEA Cape Cod Taskforce, Wareham Police, the Plymouth County State Police Detective Unit, Sandwich Police, Nantucket Police, and the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Service Section.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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