A retired doctor was arrested this week after police allegedly found guns, drugs and prostitutes onboard his 70-foot luxury yacht, which was found in Massachusetts.
Police took the owner of the yacht, Scott Anthony Burke, 69, into custody on Tuesday morning (September 5) after a raid onboard the Jess Conn.
The luxury vessel is registered in the Cayman Islands, the Nantucket Current reports.
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The yacht owner at the center of this bewildering discovery is now facing drug trafficking and weapons charges, per a Nantucket Police arrest log made public on Wednesday.
It all unfolded when a woman was removed from the yacht for a ‘wellness check’, Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey told the outlet.
She was transported to an ambulance on the shore, however, it is still unclear as to why she needed medical assistance.
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Officers and the Coast Guard conducted a search which uncovered the prostitutes, drugs, firearms and other contraband.
An investigation is underway, as confirmed by the police, and an arrest was made, however no further details have been shared just yet.
“Yes, we are currently working on an involved case and, as a result, cannot comment on the details,” Nantucket Police Department Lt. Angus MacVicar said.
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Burke is the owner of a medical insurance company and a spine and rehabilitation clinic based in Denver, Colorado. He also has addresses in Denver and Key West, Florida.
Before the yacht arrived in Nantucket on August 23, it had been anchored off Newport, Rhode Island and in May it was ran aground off Florida but avoided sustaining serious damage.
The retired doctor is scheduled to be arraigned in Nantucket District Court on weapons and drug-related charges next Monday.
The Nantucket Police Department released a press release about the investigation and charges on Wednesday morning.
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“On September 5, 2023 at 7:47 AM, the Nantucket Police Department received a report of a woman in need of medical assistance, who was on a boat in the Nantucket Harbor,” the release states.
“As a result of this information, the boat was identified and located within the Nantucket Harbor Anchorage.
"The Nantucket Police Department with the assistance of the Nantucket Harbor Master Office, United States Coast Guard Station Brant Point and Nantucket Fire Department responded to the boat and located the involved woman and identified the owner who was also on board.”
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On top of the arrests for two counts of possession of a firearm without a licence, Burke was also charged with one count of trafficking in Class B, one count of possession to distribute Class A, one count of possession of a firearm without a license, 1 count of possession of ammunition without a license and four counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device.
The case is still under investigation, the press release confirms.
Gregory Robinson