He tried to steal a Kia. Instead, he got a kilo of cocaine.

A would-be car thief deserves some credit for helping catch an alleged drug trafficker on Cape Cod last week, according to a police report.

Barnstable Police charged Nantucket man Edward Gillespie with trafficking more than 200 grams of cocaine after someone turned in a suspected brick of cocaine found in Gillespie’s car during a break-in. The Kia was parked in a Hyannis commuter lot, according to the police report.

Initially, the person who alerted the police to the drugs, and whose name is redacted in the police report, said he’d found a kilo of packaged cocaine on the side of the road on Jan 6.

But during an interview with officers, the person “admitted that he didn’t find the narcotics on the side of the road but that he located them inside the trunk of a vehicle he was attempting to steal valuables from,” the report stated.

The would-be car thief detailed how he originally tried to break into Gillespie’s 2024 Kia Forte to steal it, but when it wouldn’t start, he redirected his efforts into looking for what was inside. Examining the spare tire well, he told police he found a Target bag containing a duct taped package.

“After inspecting the package, [redacted] stated that he got scared when he realized the package contained drugs and didn’t want the drugs in his possession,” the police report said. “[Redacted] also stated he was unsure what to do with the drugs, which is why he contacted the Barnstable Police Department to get rid of them.”

Officers went with the person to where the car was parked on Bay St. and Old Colony Rd and found that it was registered to Gillespie. More investigators arrived to document the scene and a field kit revealed the brick had tested positive for cocaine.

The next day, police received search warrants to install a camera pointed at Gillespie’s car on a nearby pole and to place a tracking device on the Kia.

While monitoring the camera footage on Jan. 8, police saw Gillespie arrive to the vehicle, open and shut his trunk, then get into his car before hopping out again and examining the tire well where the unnamed person found the drugs. According to the police report, Gillespie closed his trunk again, paced back and forth while making a phone call, and then went to look at the tire well for a third time, this time “completely dismantling” it.

Officers arrived on the scene and spoke to Gillespie who said his car had been broken into. The report noted that Gillespie had not filed a report with the Barnstable Police at the time. Gillespie claimed that his spare tire had been stolen. But an officer on the scene had knowledge that not all Kia Fortes came with spare tires standard, and the officer noticed that a spare tire likely wouldn’t fit in the well because of a plastic storage insert and other car tools already in the well.

Police read Gillespie his Miranda rights and he told them that he didn’t know there was anything illegal in his car, and if there was something illegal, he hadn’t put it there.

Following Gillespie’s arrest, police were able to request and execute a search warrant for his Nantucket home. Barnstable Police arrested Gillespie while they said he was preparing to transport the drugs from Hyannis to the island where he is from.

Law enforcement said they recovered more than a kilogram of cocaine and 68 grams of amphetamines, valued at over $64,000. Police also found a gun, a digital scale, and more than $10,000 total on Gillespie’s person and in his home, according to the police report.

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Gillespie was arraigned at Barnstable District Court Friday and held without bail. He awaits a dangerousness hearing.

Nantucket Police said they would pursue additional charges against the defendant at the district court on the island.

When asked whether he may be charged with federal crimes for allegedly transporting drugs over federal waters via the Steamship Authority, Barnstable Lt. Kevin Fullam said that “the investigation is active and on-going.”

“Potential charges are being reviewed by the [Cape and Islands] DA’s office” for the individual who turned in the cocaine and allegedly tried to break into Gillespie’s car, he added.

Police from several agencies executed a search warrant at Edward Gillespie’s Nantucket home where they recovered alleged drugs and cash . (Courtesy of Barnstable Police Department)