Bail Set At $50,000 For Nantucket Cocaine Trafficking Suspect

A judge in Barnstable set bail at $50,000 on Tuesday for a Nantucket resident charged with cocaine trafficking last week.

William Sarnie, 62, was in Barnstable District Court Tuesday morning for a dangerousness hearing following last week's arrest on charges of trafficking cocaine. Authorities believe Sarnie was working with two other individuals, including island resident Edward Gillispie, who is facing charges in both Barnstable District Court and Nantucket District Court after a car thief allegedly uncovered a kilogram of cocaine in Gillispie's car while attempting to break in and reported it to the police in January.

Sarnie had his bail set at $50,000 cash, $500,000 surety by District Court Judge Therese M. Wright, and was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device as part of his release. Sarnie was ordered to return to court April 15th for a probable cause hearing. As of Tuesday afternoon, Sarnie had not posted bail and remained in custody. 

Sarnie was one of two individuals arrested last Thursday after a months-long investigation by the Cape & Islands’ District Attorney’s office and Barnstable Police Department that was prompted by an overdose in Barnstable County in November. Sarnie is facing a charge of conspiracy to violate drug law (felony) and trafficking cocaine in an amount of 200 grams or more.

Sarnie is alleged by prosecutors to have been working alongside Gillispie and Andre Silvia, a 56-year-old Wareham man who was arraigned in Wareham District Court last week and will be arraigned in Barnstable District Court on a later date. Prosecutors have used cell phone records and surveillance footage to tie the three individuals together.

“This investigation began during the month of November 2025 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 District Attorney’s office said in a release. “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that the cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by cocaine intoxication. Through investigative efforts, Andre Silvia was identified as the main supplier of the cocaine. Throughout the investigation, William Sarnie was also tied to Silvia through an investigation by the Barnstable Police Department."

Sarnie's home was searched by members of the Barnstable Police Department, Cape & Islands State Police Detective Unit, and Nantucket Police Department. Silvia’s home was searched by members of the Cape & Island’s State Police Detective Unit, Barnstable Police Department, DEA Cape Cod Taskforce, Wareham Police Department, Plymouth County State Police Detective Unit, Sandwich Police Department, Nantucket Police Department, and Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Service Section.