Editor’s Note: The article has been updated to note that Burke’s lawyer has confirmed that there were no prostitutes on board the yacht and that Burke is not facing prostitution charges.
A yacht owner is facing a laundry list of charges after cops raided his vessel off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, according to the Nantucket Police Department.
Scott A. Burke of Key Largo, Florida was arrested on unlicensed firearms possession charges as his yacht sat in the Nantucket Harbor Anchorage, after an alert about “a woman in need of medical assistance” aboard, the Nantucket Police Department wrote in a press release.
Nantucket Fire Department and Nantucket Harbor Masters Office officials took the woman to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, the release continued.
The Nantucket Current initially reported the alleged presence of “guns, drugs, and prostitutes” aboard the 70-foot Cayman Islands yacht. However, Burke’s lawyer told the paper that there were no prostitutes on board the yacht and that Burke is not facing prostitution charges.
At least one person has been arrested, and sources with knowledge of the investigation told the Current that authorities discovered guns, drugs, prostitutes, and other contraband aboard the 70-foot yacht anchored in #Nantucket Harbor https://t.co/a7efPFYoeY
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) September 6, 2023
Cops were assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Cape Cod Resident office, leading to two trafficking charges and one “count of Possession to Distribute Class A” for Burke, according to the Nantucket Police Department.
Burke also faces more charges for possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition along with “4 Counts of Possession of a Large Capacity Feeding Device,” the release continued.
An arraignment for Burke, a retired Colorado doctor, is set for Sept. 11 at the Nantucket District Court, the Nantucket Current reported. (RELATED: French Mayor Under Investigation For Allegedly Blackmailing Deputy With Male Prostitute)
Nantucket Police say an investigation is ongoing. Yachts, as a 2021 Portuguese bust demonstrated, are increasingly being used to smuggle drugs and other contraband.