Crime

Cocaine, ketamine, and guns found on yacht in Nantucket Harbor; vessel owner arrested

The owner of a yacht in Nantucket Harbor was arrested after police recovered cocaine, ketamine, guns, and ammunition on the vessel.

The Jess Conn, owned by Scott Anthony Burke, in Nantucket Harbor. David Creed / Nantucket Current

September 6, 2023

1 minute to read

A man from Florida was arrested on his yacht in Nantucket Harbor after police responded to a medical assistance call and reportedly found drugs and guns Tuesday morning.

Police arrived at the yacht, named Jess Conn, just before 8 a.m. for a woman in need of medical assistance, according to a press release from Nantucket police.

PRESS RELEASE pic.twitter.com/GKBqxMPVro
— Nantucket Police (@NantucketPolice) September 6, 2023

In a police report obtained by The Boston Globe, authorities said they were let on the yacht and into the bedroom by its owner, Scott Anthony Burke, a 69-year-old former physician from Key Largo, Florida. Once inside, they found the woman “under the influence of an unknown substance” and said she possibly overdosed.

She was taken to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, according to the press release. It was in the bedroom, the Globe reports, where police saw a black semi-automatic handgun on a shelf. Burke said the gun was his and that there was another gun on the yacht.

He told authorities he had a license for the weapons, but police discovered that it was expired.

Authorities obtained a search warrant and confiscated drugs — cocaine and ketamine — as well as ammunition.

Burke faces charges of trafficking drugs, possession to distribute a Class A drug, possession of firearms and ammunition without a license, and possession of a large capacity feeding device, according to the press release.

An arraignment date is set for Sept. 11 in Nantucket District Court, the Globe reports.