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# Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-michigan/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:15:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:15:20.000Z
- Description: In the Western District of Michigan, 920 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 90 months (7.5 years). That is longer than the median of 60 months for drug trafficking across all 94 federal districts. Drug trafficking made up 30% of th
- 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 Western District of Michigan, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-michigan/) › Drug Trafficking: Western District of Michigan

**In brief:** In the Western District of Michigan, 920 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 90 months (7.5 years). That is longer than the median of 60 months for drug trafficking across all 94 federal districts. Drug trafficking made up 30% of the district's 3,034 sentenced cases.

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 920 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 Is the District's Largest Group of Cases

Drug trafficking is one of the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense types, which sorts cases by the main guideline used at sentencing. In this district, 920 of the 3,034 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 fall in that type, or 30%.

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)), used in 914 cases. 4 cases used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and 2 used §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals).

## Prison Terms Were Longer After a Trial

Of the 920 people, 907 (99%) received a prison term, and 10 (1%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 144 months or more, and a quarter received 54 months or less. 3 people received a life sentence.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 87 months. After a trial it was 180 months, based on 57 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison.

The records show that the groups differ. They cannot show why, because the groups may differ in the charges, the amounts involved, and other facts of the cases.

## Pleas, Mandatory Minimums, and the Guideline Range

A total of 863 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 57 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 88% had a written plea agreement and 12% were straight pleas with no agreement.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 553 of the 920 people (60%).

Only 316 sentences (34%) were within the guideline range. Another 321 (35%) were below the range at the government's request, and 263 (29%) were below the range without a government request. 20 sentences (2%) were above the range. For all districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range, and in this district 54% of sentences for all offenses were.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 904 people (98%), with a median term of 48 months. A fine was ordered for 431 (47%), and restitution for 13 (1%).

By criminal history, 23% were in the lowest category, category I, and 20% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Year by Year, 2016 to 2025

The district sentenced 361 people in this offense type from fiscal year 2016 to 2019 and 559 from 2020 to 2025\. The yearly table shows counts from 60 to 124 people.

The yearly median prison term was 60 months in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 and 120 months in 2022 and 2023\. The table shows other years between those figures. The records do not show why the medians differ from year to year.

Fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 78               | 60 months     | 99%            |
| 2017        | 79               | 60 months     | 99%            |
| 2018        | 107              | 90 months     | 94%            |
| 2019        | 97               | 85.5 months   | 90%            |
| 2020        | 124              | 90 months     | 88%            |
| 2021        | 122              | 97 months     | 95%            |
| 2022        | 105              | 120 months    | 93%            |
| 2023        | 87               | 120 months    | 93%            |
| 2024        | 60               | 85.5 months   | 98%            |
| 2025        | 61               | 105 months    | 93%            |

## How This Compares With the Whole District and the Country

For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 51 months, so drug trafficking cases carried longer terms than the district's cases as a whole. Guilty pleas were 94% here, compared with 98% across all districts for this type and 96% for all offenses in the district.

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, and the terms are the sentences imposed, not time served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (920). 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 Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-michigan/) (overview)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-michigan/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-western-district-of-michigan/) (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.