> ## 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 Heroin Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-heroin-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/ - Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:52.000Z - Description: 597 people were sentenced in federal court for heroin trafficking in fiscal year 2024. Their median prison term was 48 months (4 years), lower than the 70-month median for all federal drug trafficking that year. Only 26% (155) were sentenced within the guideline range, while 45% (270) were sentenced - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Drug Distribution and Importation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) › Heroin: FY2024 **In brief:** 597 people were sentenced in federal court for heroin trafficking in fiscal year 2024\. Their median prison term was 48 months (4 years), lower than the 70-month median for all federal drug trafficking that year. Only 26% (155) were sentenced within the guideline range, while 45% (270) were sentenced below it at the government's request. Updated November 3, 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 597 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2024\. 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/). ## Few Sentences Fell Within the Guideline Range The sentencing guidelines recommend a range of months for each case. All 597 heroin cases in fiscal year 2024 had the sentence's position against that range recorded. 270 people (45%) received a sentence below the range at the government's request. 156 (26%) received a sentence below the range with no government request. 155 (26%) were sentenced inside the range. 16 (3%) were sentenced above it. The data does not say what prompted any request or any judge's decision to go below the range. ## A Smaller Group of Heroin Cases The count of 597 is lower than in any earlier year in the table. In fiscal year 2016, 2,772 people were sentenced for heroin trafficking. Sentencing data alone cannot explain the change. Even so, 597 people is a large enough group for the medians and rates below to be meaningful for fiscal year 2024. ## Prison Terms in Fiscal Year 2024 569 of the 597 (95%) went to prison. 26 (4%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 48 months. A quarter received 96 months or more. A quarter received 24 months or less. ## Mandatory Minimums Compared A mandatory minimum prison term, set by statute, applied to 333 heroin cases (56%). The all-drug §2D1.1 group of 17,771 people had a rate of 57%, about the same. Across fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the heroin rate was also 56%, across 17,665 people. ## How Cases Were Resolved 577 of 597 people (97%) pleaded guilty. 20 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 48 months. After a trial, the median was 180 months, based on 20 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. That is a small group, and plea and trial cases are not matched on facts in these records. 94% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. The other 6% were straight pleas. ## Supervised Release, Money Penalties, and Criminal History Supervised release follows prison. It was ordered for 560 people (94%), with a median term of 36 months. Fines were ordered for 32 people (5%) and restitution for 7 (1%). 41% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I. 14% were in category VI. ## The Heroin Series, 2016 to 2025 The table lists heroin trafficking sentences for each fiscal year. Over all years combined, the median prison term was 54 months. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 2,772 | 48 months | 98% | | 2017 | 2,661 | 51 months | 98% | | 2018 | 2,565 | 60 months | 98% | | 2019 | 2,484 | 60 months | 97% | | 2020 | 1,857 | 53.7 months | 97% | | 2021 | 1,771 | 48 months | 99% | | 2022 | 1,598 | 57 months | 98% | | 2023 | 1,005 | 54 months | 97% | | 2024 | 597 | 48 months | 97% | | 2025 | 355 | 51 months | 99% | ## Things These Figures Cannot Show Only convicted and sentenced people appear here. Cases ending in acquittal or dismissal are not counted. Fiscal year 2024 covered October 1 to September 30. The drug type is the primary drug the Commission recorded. Court-martial records do not allow a count by drug type, so military drug distribution cases are compared in other posts. ### How We Counted People sentenced in fiscal year 2024 whose primary guideline was §2D1.1 and whose primary drug type was heroin (597), U.S. Sentencing Commission. 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. **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. **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. ## 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) - [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) (overview) - [Federal Heroin Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-heroin-trafficking-sentences-fy2023/) (previous or next year) - [Federal Heroin Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-heroin-trafficking-sentences-fy2025/) (previous or next year) - [Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-methamphetamine-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Powder Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-powder-cocaine-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Fentanyl Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fentanyl-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Marijuana Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Crack Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-crack-cocaine-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (same year, other drug) - [Federal Other Drug Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-drug-trafficking-sentences-fy2024/) (same year, other drug) - [Drug Distribution Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-2023-sentencing-reform-so-far/) - [Drug Distribution Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-acquittal-rate-vs-courts-martial/) - [§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2d1-1-unlawful-manufacturing-importing-exporting-or-trafficking-including/) (court-martial data) - [Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Article 112a UCMJ Drug Offenses and Positive Urinalysis](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [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.