The wealthy vacation enclave of Nantucket Island installed new technology amid the COVID-19 pandemic that would detect traces of the virus in sewage. After retooling it to find drugs, the city has discovered many residents and visitors apparently have a cocaine habit.
Nantucket’s Health Department announced in June that they would begin using the equipment at the island’s Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility to detect several different types of narcotics. The city said the facility services roughly 70% of residents, giving them the opportunity to identify broad trends without singling out anyone.
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The results came back showing cocaine detected at levels noticeably higher than the national average and higher still than data from other parts of the Northeast region. The samples came back detecting 1,500 nanograms per liter (ng/L) of sewage water. The national average, per the city-provided graph, is 1,000 ng/L. The Northeastern region of the U.S. averages 900 ng/L.
Conversely, Nantucket’s sewage pipes produced very few fentanyl or methamphetamine detections. The site also tests for xylazine, nicotine and other prescription opioids.
“Wastewater testing provides a valuable and cost-effective way to monitor drug use trends,” the city’s data page reads. “Unlike surveys or medical records, it offers near real-time insight with fewer biases and can detect substances anonymously across large populations.”
Rich and famous
Known for being a vacation destination to the country’s elite, the New England island’s upscale homeowners include former Secretary of State John Kerry, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, and countless other celebrities. Former President Joe Biden traditionally spends Thanksgiving on the island.
Record cocaine bust
Before the city announced it would begin monitoring the sewers for drugs, Nantucket police made what’s seen as the largest drug bust in the island’s history. Francisco A. Fernandez Sanchez, 31, was arrested in February, according to the Nantucket Current.
Police found five pounds of cocaine in his Youngs Way apartment, valued at more than $250,000. The local district attorney said he had been selling as much as 10 ounces of cocaine per week on the island before his arrest.
