Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025
Drug trafficking made up 40% of the 3,524 people sentenced in the District of Montana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,412 people. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 81% of them, and the median prison term was 60 months (5 years), the same as for this offense type in all 94 districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 › Drug Trafficking: District of Montana
In brief: Drug trafficking made up 40% of the 3,524 people sentenced in the District of Montana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,412 people. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 81% of them, and the median prison term was 60 months (5 years), the same as for this offense type in all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,412 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 Share of the District's Cases
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Drug Trafficking" covered 1,412 people in the District of Montana. That is 40% of everyone sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. In all 94 districts together, the offense type covers 185,188 people.
Almost every case was sentenced under one guideline, §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)), with 1,406 people. A total of 5 were sentenced under §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals), and 1 under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Mandatory Minimums and Prison Terms
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,137 of the 1,412 people with that information recorded, which is 81%. A prison term was imposed on 1,383 people (98%), and 29 (2%) received probation only. One person received a life sentence.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 108 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less. The median for all offenses in the district was 40 months, so drug trafficking terms were longer than the district's overall median.
Guilty Pleas Compared With Trials
A total of 1,384 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 28 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement, and 7% were straight pleas.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. After a trial it was 180 months, based on the 28 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The trial group is much smaller than the guilty plea group, and the data cannot show whether the trial cases involved different conduct.
Few Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Of the 1,412 people with the information recorded, 227 (16%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 703 (50%) received a term below the range at the government's request, and 479 (34%) received a term below the range without that request. A total of 3 people (less than 1%) were sentenced above the range.
In all districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. For all offenses in Montana, the share was 33%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release followed prison for 1,377 people (98%), with a median term of 60 months. One person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 6 people (less than 1%), and restitution for 16 (1%).
In criminal history category I, the lowest, 32% of the group were placed, and 11% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 529 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 883 people. The table gives the yearly median prison term, which ranged from 60 months to 72 months across fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the share who pleaded guilty.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 121 | 60 months | more than 99% |
| 2017 | 125 | 64 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 129 | 71 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 154 | 68 months | more than 99% |
| 2020 | 137 | 72 months | 94% |
| 2021 | 142 | 60 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 136 | 60 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 150 | 60 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 158 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2025 | 160 | 70 months | 98% |
Limits of These Numbers
Malmstrom AFB, Montana, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and these figures describe federal court only.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. The records do not show the drug involved or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Montana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Montana") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (1,412). 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 Montana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Montana, 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.