Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025
Drug trafficking cases were 54% of the 1,377 people sentenced in the District of Hawaii in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 742 people. 732 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 71.5 months (6 years). For all 94 districts, the median was 60 months.
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In brief: Drug trafficking cases were 54% of the 1,377 people sentenced in the District of Hawaii in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 742 people. 732 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 71.5 months (6 years). For all 94 districts, the median was 60 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 742 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 series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Drug Trafficking Is the Largest Offense Type in This District
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 742 people sentenced for drug trafficking in the District of Hawaii. That is 54% of the 1,377 people sentenced in the district across all offense types.
"Drug Trafficking" is the Commission's own offense type. The most common primary guidelines were §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)) with 725 people and §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals) with 15. One person had §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Prison Terms
Of the 742 people, 732 (99%) received a prison term, and 6 (less than 1%) received probation only. 1 person received a life sentence.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 71.5 months (6 years). A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 41 months or less.
For all 94 federal districts together, drug trafficking had 185,188 people, 96% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 60 months. The median in this district was higher. For all offenses in the District of Hawaii, the median prison term was 53 months.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 632 of the 741 people with that information recorded (85%).
Against the guideline range, 22% of sentences (164 people) were within the range. The largest group, 49% (360), was below the range at the government's request. 29% (212) were below the range without a government request, and less than 1% (6) were above it.
Within the range was 32% for all 94 districts in this offense type and 37% for all offenses in this district.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
718 of 742 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 24 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 76% had a written plea agreement and 24% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 70 months. After a trial it was 142 months, based on 24 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The records do not show whether the difference comes from the plea, since the cases may differ in other ways.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
731 people (99%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 1 person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 13 (2%), and restitution for 5 (less than 1%). In criminal history, 42% were in the lowest category and 8% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 309 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 433 people. The yearly counts in the table range from 52 to 94 people.
The yearly medians range from 60 months to 96 months. The records alone cannot say why any year differs from another.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 72 | 76 months | 92% |
| 2017 | 64 | 80 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 83 | 75 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 90 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 52 | 80 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 79 | 70 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 94 | 70 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 59 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 74 | 84 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 75 | 96 months | 99% |
Federal Court and Military Courts
Military installations in this district that appear in this site's court-martial data are Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, and Wheeler Army Airfield. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Hawaii (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Hawaii") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (742). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.