Manchester Man Sentenced to 70 Months for Cocaine Trafficking and Firearms Charges

            CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced that Mark Manapsal, 35, of Manchester, was sentenced in federal court to 70 months in prison for distribution of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 17, 2016, and November 2, 2016, Manapsal sold cocaine to an individual who was cooperating with law enforcement officers.  On November 29, 2016, Manapsal, a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing guns, sold a semi-automatic rifle to the cooperating individual for $900.  On March 22, 2017, Manapsal was found in possession of 497 grams of cocaine when his vehicle was stopped by the New Hampshire State Police in Nashua.

            Manapsal previously pleaded guilty on July 11, 2019.

            “Armed drug traffickers present a serious threat to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to protect our community, law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire are working together to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate drug dealers.  Drug dealers who increase the risk to the public by using firearms should expect to find themselves in federal prison.”

           "The FBI is all too familiar with what havoc can result from a semi-automatic rifle being sold into the wrong hands. Mark Manapsal was a convicted felon and cocaine pusher when he brokered the sale of an AM-15 he told the buyer was given to him to cover a drug debt," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "Drugs and guns are a dangerous mix.  Today's sentence should deliver that message to Mr. Manapsal loud and clear."

           “DEA is committed to bring to justice those that distribute cocaine,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle.  “Today’s sentence not only holds Mr. Manapsal accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning that DEA and its local, state and federal law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to keep this drug off the streets of New Hampshire.”

           The case was investigated by the FBI, DEA, New Hampshire State Police, and the Manchester Police Department.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also provided assistance.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Cole Davis prosecuted the case.

           This investigation was conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.