A Manchester man was sentenced to five years in federal prison this week for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine.
Joseph Coffey, 32, received 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante. He pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
His co-defendant, Zachary Austin, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison, officials said.
According to court documents, Coffey and Austin operated a methamphetamine distribution business from their shared Manchester apartment. Between July and September 2024, they sold methamphetamine to law enforcement officers on five occasions.
Searches of their apartment and vehicle eventually uncovered additional methamphetamine. In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 3.66 pounds of the drug.
“The defendant and his co-conspirator worked to introduce a significant amount of methamphetamine into the Manchester area,” U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan said in a statement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case.
“DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes poisons like methamphetamine in order to profit and destroy lives,” said Special Agent in Charge, Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. ““Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take drugs off the streets, lives are saved.”