Concord man pleads guilty to meth possession, trafficking

CONCORD - A 32-year-old Concord man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to attempted possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced today.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in March of 2019, the United States Postal Inspection Service identified Jason Manley as a customer of an illegal drug vendor operating on the internet.

Between March of 2019 and July 2020, postal inspectors intercepted four parcels addressed to Manley at his residence. Pursuant to search warrants, the seized parcels were found to contain a total of over 2.3 kilograms of highly-pure methamphetamine. On July 10, 2020, an undercover agent made a controlled delivery of an intercepted parcel to Manley's residence. After Manley accepted the parcel, investigators executed a search warrant of his residence and recovered additional methamphetamine, a handgun and ammunition, $54,483 in cash, and additional items consistent with drug distribution activities.

Manley is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 2. As part of his plea agreement, Manley has agreed to forfeit cash, a firearm, ammunition, jewelry, and other items seized during the investigation.