TRENTON — A Little Egg Harbor Township woman was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for selling more than 1,500 pills that contained methamphetamine, authorities said.
Denise Manco, 49, was sentenced June 8 in Trenton federal court to 151 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Manco previously pleaded guilty May 27, 2025, to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Federal authorities said undercover officers made several controlled buys from Manco between August 2022 and March 2023. Manco allegedly represented the pills as ecstasy or MDMA, but testing showed they contained methamphetamine.
Investigators later searched Manco’s Ocean County home and seized controlled substances along with items tied to drug manufacturing and distribution, including binding powder, scales and glassine bags, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors said Manco’s prior state convictions for drug distribution and manslaughter qualified her as a career offender under federal sentencing guidelines, increasing her potential sentence.
In addition to the prison term, Manco was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
The investigation was handled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI’s Newark Division and the New Jersey Department of Corrections. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Separately, Stafford Township police said Manco was arrested April 25, 2025, after she allegedly stole about $150.98 worth of merchandise from the Target at 209 Stafford Park Boulevard in Manahawkin. She was charged with shoplifting and released on a summons pending an appearance in Stafford Township Municipal Court.
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