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# Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-texas/
- Published: 2026-11-04T09:52:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T09:52:06.000Z
- Description: 11,373 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 95% received a prison term, and the median was 51 months. The median prison term for these cases was 70 months in fiscal year 2024 and 72 months in fiscal year 2025.
- 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 Texas, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-texas/) › Drug Trafficking: Western District of Texas

**In brief:** 11,373 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 95% received a prison term, and the median was 51 months. The median prison term for these cases was 70 months in fiscal year 2024 and 72 months in fiscal year 2025.

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 11,373 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/).

## Median Prison Terms Were Higher in the Later Years

The yearly table shows the median prison term for drug trafficking cases in this district at 33 months in fiscal year 2016\. It was 72 months in fiscal year 2025\. Each year is a fiscal year, which begins October 1 and ends in September.

The number of people sentenced was 1,665 in fiscal year 2016 and 738 in fiscal year 2025\. The records show these changes but cannot show what caused them.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1,665            | 33 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2017        | 1,643            | 37 months     | 99%            |
| 2018        | 1,385            | 37 months     | 99%            |
| 2019        | 1,285            | 46 months     | 99%            |
| 2020        | 929              | 51 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 1,026            | 60 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 972              | 60 months     | 99%            |
| 2023        | 948              | 63.5 months   | 98%            |
| 2024        | 782              | 70 months     | more than 99%  |
| 2025        | 738              | 72 months     | more than 99%  |

## The District's Drug Trafficking Cases

The U.S. Sentencing Commission labels these cases with its offense type "Drug Trafficking". The district is the Western District of Texas, which the Commission's data calls "Texas West".

These 11,373 people were 15% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 5,978 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 5,395 people were sentenced.

The most common primary guideline was §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)), with 11,322 people. Other guidelines were small: §2D1.2 had 24, §2D1.8 had 10, and §2X3.1 had 7.

## Prison Terms and Probation

10,849 of the 11,373 people (95%) received a prison term, and 325 (3%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 51 months (4.2 years). A quarter received 108 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. 11 people received a life sentence.

In all 94 districts, 185,188 people were sentenced for drug trafficking. 96% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 60 months. The median in this district was lower. The median for every offense type in this district together was 10 months.

## Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums

11,231 of 11,373 people (99%) pleaded guilty, and 142 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 50 months. After a trial it was 168 months.

77% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 23% were straight pleas with no agreement.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 6,309 of the 11,353 people with that information recorded (56%).

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

For 11,371 people with the information, 54% (6,191) were within the guideline range. 21% (2,399) were below the range at the government's request. 23% (2,671) were below the range without a government request. Less than 1% (110) were above it.

In all 94 districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. Across every offense type in this district, the rate was 77%.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

10,804 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 36 months, and 7 (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 1,548 (14%), and restitution for 35 (less than 1%).

59% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 7% were in the highest.

## Limits of This Data

Acquittals and dismissals are missing from the Commission's data, which covers sentenced people only. A prison term here means the term the court imposed.

The district contains military installations, but soldiers and airmen tried by court-martial are tried in military courts. These federal figures say nothing about any installation.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (11,373). 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 Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-texas/) (overview)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-texas/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-sentences-western-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.