He Tried to Steal a Car, Checked the Trunk, Called Cops
Edward Gillespie. (Facebook/Barnstable Police Department)
A failed car theft attempt on Cape Cod unexpectedly led police to a major drug investigation, authorities said.
Barnstable police say the case began Jan. 6 when a man contacted officers to report finding a package of drugs. According to the Boston Globe, the man later changed his account, admitting the drugs were not found on the roadside but inside the trunk of a vehicle he had broken into while attempting to steal it from a private commuter lot in Hyannis.
Police say the man told investigators he pried open the steering column of a Kia with a screwdriver but was unable to start the car. He then opened the trunk and discovered a Target shopping bag containing a duct-taped package. Realizing it was cocaine, he said he became frightened and went to the police.
Detectives traced the vehicle to its owner, Edward Gillespie, 62, of Nantucket, and obtained a warrant to monitor the car. On Jan. 8, surveillance footage allegedly showed Gillespie repeatedly opening the trunk, checking the spare tire compartment where the drugs had been stored, pacing while making a phone call, and dismantling the tire well. Officers then arrested him on a charge of trafficking more than 200 grams of cocaine.
Gillespie denied knowing drugs were in his vehicle and told police that if anything illegal was found, it had not been placed there by him.
A subsequent search of Gillespie’s Nantucket home, conducted with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Cape Cod DEA office, uncovered additional drugs and cash, police said. Authorities reported seizing approximately 2.5 pounds of cocaine, 2.4 ounces of amphetamine pills, and about $10,000 in cash. Investigators allege Gillespie was preparing to transport the cocaine from Hyannis to Nantucket.
Barnstable police say additional charges related to the drugs found at the residence are expected to be pursued in Nantucket District Court.
The man who reported the drugs has not been publicly identified, and it remains unclear whether he will face charges related to the attempted car theft.
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