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# Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:17:15.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:17:15.000Z
- Description: Drug trafficking made up 46% of the 3,337 people sentenced in the District of North Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,533 people. Their median prison term was 50 months (4.2 years), lower than the 60 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. Only 15% of sentences were within the gui
- 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 District of North Dakota, FY2016–20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-north-dakota/) › Drug Trafficking: District of North Dakota

**In brief:** Drug trafficking made up 46% of the 3,337 people sentenced in the District of North Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,533 people. Their median prison term was 50 months (4.2 years), lower than the 60 months for this offense type across all 94 districts. Only 15% of sentences were within the guideline range, and 73% were below it at the government's request.

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 1,533 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/).

## The Largest Part of the District's Federal Cases

The U.S. Sentencing Commission sorts federal cases into offense types. "Drug Trafficking" is the largest type in this district: 1,533 of 3,337 people sentenced, or 46%.

Nearly all of them were sentenced under one guideline, §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)), which was the primary guideline for 1,504 people. Smaller groups used §2D1.5 (Continuing Criminal Enterprise), 11 people, §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals), 10 people, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), 4 people.

## Sentences Below the Guideline Range at the Government's Request

The sentence was below the guideline range at the government's request for 1,112 of the 1,532 people with this information (73%). It was within the range for 233 people (15%). It was below the range without a government request for 143 people (9%), and above the range for 44 people (3%).

Across all 94 districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 34%. The records do not show why requests for a lower sentence were so common in these cases.

## Prison Terms

Of the 1,533 people, 1,530 (more than 99%) received a prison term. Among them, the median was 50 months. A quarter received 12 months or less, and a quarter received 96 months or more. A life sentence was imposed on 3 people.

The median for all offenses in the district was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 936 of the 1,533 people (61%).

## Guilty Pleas and Trials

A total of 1,503 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 30 were convicted after a trial. The rate was 98% across all 94 districts for this type and 97% for all offenses in the district.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 48 months. After a trial, it was 168 months, based on 30 people. More than 99% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1,525 people (more than 99%), with a median term of 36 months. Supervised release for life was ordered for 2 people (less than 1%). A fine was ordered for 1 person (less than 1%), and restitution for 46 people (3%).

In the lowest criminal history category, category I, were 30% of the people, and 21% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 585 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 948 people. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of the following September.

The table lists each year. The median was 60 months in each of fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 48 months in 2020 and again in 2023\. The lowest yearly median was 36 months in 2022, and 2023 had the most people, 224\. The records cannot show why the figures changed.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 145              | 60 months     | 97%            |
| 2017        | 135              | 60 months     | 99%            |
| 2018        | 157              | 60 months     | 99%            |
| 2019        | 148              | 60 months     | 97%            |
| 2020        | 112              | 48 months     | 100%           |
| 2021        | 128              | 52 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 169              | 36 months     | 97%            |
| 2023        | 224              | 48 months     | 98%            |
| 2024        | 179              | 50 months     | 98%            |
| 2025        | 136              | 44 months     | 100%           |

## What the Records Do Not Show

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. The figures do not show drug types, quantities, or the facts of any case.

Grand Forks AFB and Minot AFB, both in North Dakota, are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and these numbers do not describe them.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of North Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "North Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (1,533). 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 District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-north-dakota/) (overview)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Assault Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-assault-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (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.