Meth Filled Pills Net Southern Ocean Woman Federal Prison Sentence

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ — A Little Egg Harbor Township woman has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a methamphetamine distribution case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey.

Denise Manco, 49, received a 151-month sentence on June 8, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the sentence. The charge was one count of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Manco had pleaded guilty on May 27, 2025, in the same court.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, undercover law enforcement officers carried out several controlled purchases of pills from Manco between August 2022 and March 2023. The pills were presented by Manco as containing ecstasy or MDMA, but in fact contained methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The case also included a search of Manco’s Ocean County residence. According to the case documents and court statements, officers executing a search warrant seized a variety of controlled substances and items associated with drug manufacturing and distribution, including binding powder, scales and glassine bags.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Manco’s prior state convictions for distribution of controlled substances and manslaughter qualified her to be sentenced as a “career offender” under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. That status significantly increased her sentencing exposure, according to the announcement.

In addition to the prison term, Manco was sentenced to five years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment.