Two Island Residents Indicted By Grand Jury On Drug Charges In Nantucket Superior Court

Two island residents were indicted by a grand jury in Nantucket Superior Court on Thursday afternoon on drug trafficking charges. The indictments followed an investigation by the Nantucket and Barnstable Police Departments, as well as the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office, that began earlier this year after an alleged car thief found drugs in a vehicle he was attempting to steal on January 6th in Hyannis. That incident helped advance a separate investigation into a fatal drug overdose on Cape Cod in November of 2025.

Edward Gillespie, 62, is facing charges of trafficking methamphetamine in an amount of 36 grams or more but less than 100 grams and trafficking cocaine in an amount of 18 grams or more but less than 36 grams. Prior to this indictment, Gillespie was arrested and subsequently arraigned on January 9th in Barnstable District Court on a charge of trafficking cocaine over 200 grams. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

When Barnstable police detectives traveled to Gillespie's residence at 7 Windy Way on Nantucket to execute the search warrant with the assistance of Nantucket Police earlier this year, investigators seized approximately 38 grams of cocaine, 68 grams of Adderall (Amphetamines), $9,500 of US currency, packaging material, and a digital scale. 

Gillispie was later arraigned in Nantucket District Court in February and pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing a class B drug to distribute and trafficking cocaine in an amount greater than 36 grams but less than 100 grams. He is currently out of jail on $50,000 cash bail following a dangerousness hearing in Barnstable.

William Sarnie is facing charges of possessing cocaine to distribute and possessing a Class B drug in Nantucket Superior Court. Sarnie was initially arrested in March on cocaine trafficking charges in the aftermath of a lengthy investigation into a fatal overdose on Cape Cod late last year and arraigned in Barnstable District Court on charges of conspiracy to violate drug law (felony) and trafficking cocaine in an amount of 200 grams or more. Sarnie was later arraigned in April on cocaine possession and distribution charges in Nantucket District Court. He is also out of jail on $50,000 cash bail.

Both defendants are expected to be arraigned during the Superior Court’s next session on July 24th

Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois and Barnstable Police Chief Jeanne Challies made the announcement in March that Sarnie, along with a 56-year-old man named Andre Silvia from Wareham, were arrested and taken into custody for illegal drug activity following an investigation that spanned multiple towns beginning in November of last year.

“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 and Silvia's arrests were preceded and made possible by the Barnstable Police Department's arrest of Gillespie, who on January 8th was preparing to transport a kilogram of cocaine from Hyannis to Nantucket. Following Gillespie’s arrest, the BPD executed a search warrant for Gillespie’s Nantucket residence. With the support of the Nantucket Police Detective Unit, United States Coast Guard and resident Cape Cod DEA office, a search of Gillespie’s home yielded additional quantities of drugs and evidence of narcotics trafficking.

Sarnie is alleged by prosecutors to have been working alongside Gillispie and Silvia. Prosecutors have used cell phone records and surveillance footage to tie the three individuals together.

Gillespie's arrest led to a deeper investigation and investigators obtained more search warrants, including the warrant to search Sarnie's home. This search led to Sarnie's new charges in Nantucket District Court.