Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025
Drug trafficking made up 30% of the 3,992 people sentenced in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 1,202 people sentenced for it, 1,186 (99%) received a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years). Only 8% were sentenced within the guideline range.
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In brief: Drug trafficking made up 30% of the 3,992 people sentenced in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 1,202 people sentenced for it, 1,186 (99%) received a prison term, with a median of 60 months (5 years). Only 8% were sentenced within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,202 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 series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
The Largest Offense Type in the District
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Drug Trafficking" covers 1,202 people in this district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025. That is 30% of the 3,992 people sentenced in the district. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 30 months. For drug trafficking it was 60 months, which is higher.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 529 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 673 people.
Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range
Only 91 people (8%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Most, 832 people (69%), were below the range at the government's request. Another 275 (23%) were below the range without a government request. 4 (less than 1%) were above it.
Across all 94 districts, sentences within the range were 32% for this offense type. For all offenses in this district, they were 35%.
Prison Terms
Of the 1,202 people, 1,186 (99%) received a prison term, and 11 (less than 1%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 60 months. A quarter received 80 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
Across all districts, 185,188 people were sentenced under this offense type. In that group, 96% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 60 months, which is the same as here.
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 764 of the 1,202 people (64%). The sentence can still fall below the guideline range when a mandatory minimum applies, and the data here does not separate those cases from the others.
Pleas and Trials
Of the 1,202, 1,174 (98%) pleaded guilty, and 28 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, guilty pleas were also 98%. Nearly all guilty pleas, more than 99%, had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 60 months. After a trial it was 120 months, based on 28 people. The records do not show whether the groups had similar charges, so the difference should not be read as the cost of going to trial.
Which Guidelines Applied
Almost all cases, 1,196 people, fell under §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)). Another 4 fell under §2D1.10 (Endangering Human Life While Illegally Manufacturing a Controlled Substance). One fell under §2D1.2 (Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals).
Supervision, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1,101 people (92%), with a median term of 48 months. A fine was ordered for 12 (less than 1%), and restitution for 22 (2%).
In criminal history, 47% were in the lowest category and 11% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Limits
The yearly table shows counts from 94 to 155 people, with the median prison term between 36 and 71 months. The records do not explain the year-to-year differences.
Bremerton, Washington and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 155 | 48 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 114 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 109 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2019 | 151 | 60 months | more than 99% |
| 2020 | 99 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 94 | 60 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 139 | 48 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 124 | 66 months | 98% |
| 2024 | 99 | 71 months | 99% |
| 2025 | 118 | 60 months | more than 99% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (1,202). 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 (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.