> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-central-district-of-california/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:36:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:36:43.000Z - Description: Drug trafficking made up 31% of the 9,958 people sentenced in the Central District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 3,124 people. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 80% of those with the information recorded. The median prison term was 63 months, compared with 60 months for this o - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-central-district-of-california/) › Drug Trafficking: Central District of California **In brief:** Drug trafficking made up 31% of the 9,958 people sentenced in the Central District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 3,124 people. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 80% of those with the information recorded. The median prison term was 63 months, compared with 60 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,124 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Drug Trafficking in the District's Caseload The U.S. Sentencing Commission sorts cases into offense types, and "Drug Trafficking" is one of them. In this district, it accounted for 3,124 of the 9,958 people sentenced over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 31%. The guideline used most often was §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)), with 3,034 people. Smaller numbers were sentenced under §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals) with 31, §2D1.5 (Continuing Criminal Enterprise) with 3, and §2D1.10 (Endangering Human Life While Illegally Manufacturing a Controlled Substance) with 2. ## Mandatory Minimums and Prison Terms A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,480 of the 3,115 people with that information recorded (80%). A mandatory minimum is a floor set by statute for the sentence. Of the 3,124 people, 2,979 (95%) received a prison term and 103 (3%) received probation only. The median prison term was 63 months, or 5.2 years. A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less. A life sentence was imposed on 2 people. For all districts, 96% of 185,188 people were sent to prison, and the median was 60 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 37 months. These are terms imposed, not time served. ## Guilty Pleas and Trials Guilty pleas accounted for 3,014 of 3,124 cases (96%), and 110 people were convicted after a trial. The share pleading guilty was 98% for all districts and 95% for all offenses in this district. The median prison term was 63 months after a guilty plea and 126.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 110 people. The records do not show how the plea and trial cases differed in other ways, so the plea and trial medians cannot show what a trial changes. Among the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 4% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## Sentences Relative to the Guideline Range The guideline range is calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Of 3,112 people with the information, 19% (589) were sentenced within the range. Another 39% (1,216) were below it at the government's request, and 41% (1,290) were below it without a government request. Above the range were less than 1% (17). For this offense type in all districts, 32% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 29%. Within-range sentences were less common for drug trafficking here than in all districts. ## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2,955 people (95%), with a median term of 60 months. One person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 90 people (3%), and restitution for 61 (2%). On criminal history, 38% of the people were in the lowest category and 22% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year The district sentenced 1,167 people for drug trafficking in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 1,957 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. Yearly counts in the table range from 275 to 416\. Yearly medians range from 60 months to 78 months. The records show these figures, but they do not show what moved them. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 292 | 60 months | 97% | | 2017 | 278 | 70 months | 94% | | 2018 | 294 | 63 months | 95% | | 2019 | 303 | 63 months | 94% | | 2020 | 275 | 70 months | 98% | | 2021 | 301 | 60 months | more than 99% | | 2022 | 416 | 60 months | 97% | | 2023 | 330 | 70 months | 95% | | 2024 | 360 | 78 months | 98% | | 2025 | 275 | 62 months | 97% | ## What the Records Cannot Show The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and the drug type and quantity in each case are not part of these figures. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, so these numbers describe federal cases only. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Central District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California Central") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (3,124). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories. Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records. ### What to Keep in Mind **No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served. **Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial. **Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart. **Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually. **How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less. **Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge. ## Related Analysis - [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-central-district-of-california/) (overview) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-central-district-of-california/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) **About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.