Nantucket drug inquiry leads to three arrests
Police on Nantucket made the third arrest in a week Friday as part of what they called a lengthy and collaborative narcotics investigation involving local police and state troopers attached to the office of Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael D. O’Keefe.
Francisco Pena, 29, of Nantucket, an El Salvadorian national, was arrested after he sold more than 7 grams of cocaine to an undercover state trooper on two occasions, police said.
“Our detectives and the troopers from the task force did an outstanding job on this,’’ said Nantucket police Lieutenant Jerry W. Adams, adding that it’s particularly difficult to conduct drug investigations in the small, close-knit island community.
Pena was charged with two counts of distributing cocaine and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He is being held on $10,000 bail at the Barnstable County Jail pending arraignment tomorrow.
Two other Nantucket men were arrested for similar but unrelated charges last week. Lenworth East, 37, was arrested Nov. 6 and charged with trafficking cocaine. Arrested the same day was Christopher Stewart, 43, for trafficking and distributing cocaine.
Adams said the island’s drug problems fluctuate with changes in the economy.
“One thing that tends to happen with us is that we find ways to control the problem to a certain level where it’s better, and then if we suffer any kind of economic downturn, then the problem gets worse,’’ Adams said. “And it’s difficult to get back to where we can maintain it a little better.’’
The drug busts come during desperate fiscal times for the Nantucket Police Department. Adams said the island community faces a $3.6 million budget shortfall. The Police Department’s beach patrols, K-9 program, school resource officer, and its entire detectives unit may be cut to help close the gap.
“It’s disturbing, and it affects the quality of life on Nantucket,’’ Adams said, “but we will continue to do the job.’’
John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com 
