Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025
1,753 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in the District of Massachusetts in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 36% of all 4,847 people sentenced there. The median prison term was 42 months, compared with 60 months for drug trafficking in all 94 federal districts. Only 25% of sentences were
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2 › Drug Trafficking: District of Massachusetts
In brief: 1,753 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in the District of Massachusetts in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which is 36% of all 4,847 people sentenced there. The median prison term was 42 months, compared with 60 months for drug trafficking in all 94 federal districts. Only 25% of sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,753 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.
The Largest Offense Type in the District
Drug trafficking cases were 36% of the 4,847 people sentenced in the District of Massachusetts over these 10 fiscal years. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September. "Drug Trafficking" is the offense type the U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns from each case's primary guideline.
Most of the cases, 1,707, used §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)). Another 37 used §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals). 3 used §2D1.8 (Renting or Managing a Drug Establishment), and 2 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range
447 people (25%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 650 (37%) were sentenced below it at the government's request, and 621 (35%) were below it without a government request. 35 (2%) were above the range.
Across all districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 29%.
Prison Terms Compared With the Nationwide Median
1,701 people (97%) received a prison term, and 43 (2%) received probation only. The median prison term was 42 months, or 3.5 years. A quarter received 72 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less.
For drug trafficking in all districts, the median was 60 months. The median for all offenses in the District of Massachusetts was 30 months. Drug trafficking terms here were lower than the national figure for the offense type and higher than the district's overall median.
A Rising Median Across the Fiscal Years
The yearly table shows a median of 30 months in fiscal year 2019 and 60 months in fiscal year 2025. The number of people sentenced was 157 in fiscal year 2016 and 209 in fiscal year 2025.
679 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 1,074 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The records show these changes. They do not show what caused them.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 157 | 37 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 173 | 34 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 200 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 149 | 30 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 124 | 33.5 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 179 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 179 | 45 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 181 | 48 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 202 | 52.5 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 209 | 60 months | 96% |
Mandatory Minimums and Plea Agreements
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 868 of the 1,748 people with that information recorded (50%).
1,691 of 1,753 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 62 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 40 months after a guilty plea and 84 months after a trial, based on 61 people. Among guilty pleas, 55% had a written plea agreement and 44% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
1,658 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. 2 people received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 45 people (3%) and restitution for 18 (1%).
51% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 12% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What the Records Leave Out
The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The figures here are not broken down by drug type or quantity, and no case facts are given.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Massachusetts (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Massachusetts") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (1,753). 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 Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, 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.