> ## 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 Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-eastern-district-of-texas/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:34:27.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:34:27.000Z - Description: Drug trafficking made up 47% of the 7,998 people sentenced in the Eastern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 3,793 people. Of those, 3,752 (99%) received a prison term, with a median of 115 months (9.6 years). For all 94 federal districts, the median for drug trafficking was 60 months. - 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 Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-texas/) › Drug Trafficking: Eastern District of Texas **In brief:** Drug trafficking made up 47% of the 7,998 people sentenced in the Eastern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 3,793 people. Of those, 3,752 (99%) received a prison term, with a median of 115 months (9.6 years). For all 94 federal districts, the median for drug trafficking was 60 months. 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 3,793 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 counted 3,793 people sentenced for drug trafficking in this district. That is 47% of everyone sentenced here in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Almost all of them were sentenced under one guideline: §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)), with 3,775 people. Smaller numbers were sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) with 6, §2D1.8 (Renting or Managing a Drug Establishment) with 5, and §2D1.5 (Continuing Criminal Enterprise) with 2. "Drug Trafficking" is the Commission's offense type, assigned by the primary guideline. It does not say which drug was involved. ## Prison Terms Compared With the Nation The median prison term was 115 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 151 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less. In addition, 12 people received a life sentence. For all 94 districts together, the median for drug trafficking was 60 months, which is lower than the median here. For all offenses in this district, the median was 64.5 months, which is also lower than the drug trafficking median. Only 33 people (less than 1%) received probation only. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. ## Mandatory Minimums Were Common A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,960 of the 3,792 people with that information recorded (78%). A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute for certain offenses. The records do not say which drug or quantity triggered a minimum in any one case. ## Position Against the Guideline Range Within the guideline range were 62% of the sentences (2,359). Below the range at the government's request were 24% (901), and below the range without a government request were 12% (444). Above the range were 2% (89). For all districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 64%. Sentences within the range were therefore more common here than nationwide for this offense type. ## Guilty Pleas and Trials A total of 3,730 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 63 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 99% had a written plea agreement, and 1% were straight pleas with no agreement. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 110 months. After a trial it was 235 months, based on 63 people sent to prison. These groups differ in the facts of their cases, so the comparison does not show the effect of going to trial. ## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History Supervised release after prison was ordered for 3,739 people (99%), with a median term of 60 months. A fine was ordered for 38 people (1%), and restitution for 21 (less than 1%). In criminal history, 46% were in the lowest category and 12% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year From fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 1,506 people were sentenced. From fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 2,287 were sentenced. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. The table shows a median of 120 months in each year from 2018 to 2023, and 108 months in fiscal years 2024 and 2025\. The records cannot show why these figures changed. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 390 | 87 months | 97% | | 2017 | 425 | 100 months | 97% | | 2018 | 350 | 120 months | 98% | | 2019 | 341 | 120 months | 98% | | 2020 | 313 | 120 months | 97% | | 2021 | 306 | 120 months | more than 99% | | 2022 | 311 | 120 months | 99% | | 2023 | 332 | 120 months | 99% | | 2024 | 554 | 108 months | more than 99% | | 2025 | 471 | 108 months | 99% | ## Limits of These Records Only convicted and sentenced people are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, and the records do not describe individual cases. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (3,793). 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 Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-texas/) (overview) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-eastern-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-eastern-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-eastern-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-money-laundering-sentences-eastern-district-of-texas/) (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.