Two men from Manchester, New Hampshire, have admitted to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announced that Joseph Coffey, 31, and Zachary Austin, 41, pleaded guilty in federal court. They were each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante has scheduled their sentencing for June 9, 2025. The two were indicted on October 9, 2024.
Court documents reveal that between July 10 and September 19, 2024, Coffey and Austin sold over two pounds of methamphetamine to law enforcement across five separate transactions. Most sales occurred at their shared residence in Manchester. Following these events, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence where they found methamphetamine along with firearms accessories and empty rifle magazines and ammunition containers.
On September 16, 2024, Austin was stopped for a motor vehicle infraction in New Hampshire while returning from Lawrence, Massachusetts. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed more than one pound of methamphetamine.
The legal framework provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine not exceeding $1 million. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation into this case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande handling the prosecution.