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# Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:14:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:14:02.000Z
- Description: A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 853 of the 1,072 people sentenced for drug trafficking in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (80%). Of these 1,072 people, 1,034 (96%) received a prison term, with a median of 63 months (5.2 years). Across all 94 federal districts
- 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 Southern District of Alabama, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-alabama/) › Drug Trafficking: Southern District of Alabama

**In brief:** A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 853 of the 1,072 people sentenced for drug trafficking in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (80%). Of these 1,072 people, 1,034 (96%) received a prison term, with a median of 63 months (5.2 years). Across all 94 federal districts, the median 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 1,072 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/).

## Mandatory Minimums in Most Cases

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 1,072 people in this district whose offense type was Drug Trafficking. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 853 of the 1,072 with that information recorded (80%). A mandatory minimum is a lowest sentence set by statute.

Drug trafficking was the largest group in this district. These cases were 36% of the 2,994 people sentenced in the period. The primary guideline for all 1,072 was §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)).

## How Long Were Prison Terms?

Of the 1,072 people, 1,034 (96%) received a prison term, and 34 (3%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 63 months (5.2 years). A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.

In all districts, 185,188 people were sentenced for drug trafficking, 96% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 60 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 41 months. The drug trafficking median here was higher than the district's overall median.

## Position Against the Guideline Range

All 1,072 people had guideline information. Of these, 407 (38%) were sentenced within the range. Another 388 (36%) were below it at the government's request, and 268 (25%) were below it without a government request. Fewer than 1% (9 people) were above the range.

In all districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. The share here was higher. For all offenses in this district, 56% were within the range, so the share for drug trafficking was lower.

## Pleas and Trials

Of the 1,072 people, 1,037 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 35 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. After a trial it was 188 months, based on 34 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.

Written plea agreements covered 95% of guilty pleas; the other 5% were straight pleas. The records do not say why the plea and trial terms differ.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

1,033 people (96%) were ordered to serve supervised release once out of prison, and the median term was 60 months. Fines applied to 10 (less than 1%), and restitution to 14 (1%).

In criminal history, 43% were in the lowest category (category I), and 12% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 total 439 people, against 633 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The fiscal year begins in October.

The yearly table shows a median of 60 months in 2016 and 90 months in 2025\. The records cannot show why the medians differ, and the yearly counts, from 78 to 146 people, do not by themselves establish a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 91               | 60 months     | 98%            |
| 2017        | 140              | 57 months     | 99%            |
| 2018        | 92               | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2019        | 116              | 60 months     | 96%            |
| 2020        | 126              | 84 months     | 95%            |
| 2021        | 118              | 78 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 146              | 71.5 months   | 97%            |
| 2023        | 78               | 70 months     | 96%            |
| 2024        | 87               | 87 months     | 93%            |
| 2025        | 78               | 90 months     | 100%           |

## Limits of the Records

The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are missing from it. The terms shown are those imposed, and the records do not identify the drugs involved.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (1,072). 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 Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (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.