Crime
What began as an investigation into a November 2025 fatal overdose escalated into a wider series of searches by law enforcement.
The two men were arrested for allegedly trafficking over 200 grams of cocaine. Massachusetts State Police
March 15, 2026 | 11:12 AM
2 minutes to read
Two men have been arrested for allegedly trafficking cocaine after a monthslong investigation stemming from a fatal overdose, according to prosecutors.
William Sarnie, 62, of Nantucket, and Andre Silvia, 56, of Wareham, were both arrested as a result of that investigation, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. They were taken into custody Thursday for “involvement in illegal drug activity.”
Sarnie and Silvia have each been charged in Barnstable District Court with felony conspiracy to violate drug law and trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, according to court records. Silvia is also currently facing similar drug distribution charges in Wareham District Court.
Sarnie pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday and was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing currently scheduled for Tuesday, court records show. Silvia has not yet been arraigned.
The investigation began in November 2025 when Massachusetts State Police detectives responded to a fatal overdose in Barnstable County, according to prosecutors. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis, which is caused by a severe lack of insulin, complicated by cocaine intoxication.
Investigators later identified Silvia as the main supplier of the cocaine, the DA’s office said. Sarnie was also tied to Silvia through a Barnstable police investigation, according to officials.
On Jan. 8, Barnstable police arrested Edward Gillespie, 62, of Nantucket, who was allegedly preparing to transport a kilogram of cocaine from Hyannis to Nantucket, according to the DA’s office. Gillespie was identified as a narcotics supplier, and a subsequent search of his residence yielded more cocaine, amphetamines, evidence of narcotics trafficking, and approximately $10,000, according to officials.
Gillespie was charged in Barnstable District Court and charged with trafficking over 200 grams of cocaine, prosecutors said. He was arraigned Jan. 9 and is next scheduled to appear in court March 25 for a hearing.
The following months of the investigation prompted a wider collaboration between police detectives at the local and state levels, according to prosecutors. Local departments in Barnstable, Nantucket, Sandwich, and Wareham, state departments from the Cape & Islands, and Plymouth County, the DEA Cape Cod Taskforce, and State Police were all involved.
Law enforcement executed search warrants March 12 at properties in Nantucket and Wareham, leading to Sarnie and Silvia’s arrests, the DA’s office said. Both were held without bail.
Attorney information for Sarnie and Silvia was not immediately available Sunday morning.
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