Did Drug Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada Change After 2019?
Nellis AFB, Nevada tried 26 courts-martial charging Article 112a, wrongful drug use or possession, from 2019–2023. The median confinement was 5 months, longer than the 3 months in Air Force Article 112a cases overall.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Nellis AFB, Nevada › Article 112a
Short answer: Nellis AFB, Nevada tried 26 courts-martial charging Article 112a, wrongful drug use or possession, from 2019–2023. The median confinement was 5 months, longer than the 3 months in Air Force Article 112a cases overall. Of convicted enlisted members, 67% received a punitive discharge, compared with 45% service-wide.
Drug Cases Were Most of the Base's Courts-Martial
The 26 Article 112a cases account for 57% of all 46 courts-martial at Nellis from 2019–2023.
Most were tried early in the period. There were 12 cases in 2019, 5 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. The trials ran from January 2019 to September 2023.
Punitive Discharges Were More Common
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, or a dismissal for officers. Of 24 enlisted members convicted at Nellis, 16 received one (67%). In Air Force Article 112a cases overall, the share was 45%. Of those 16 discharges, 2 were dishonorable.
Of 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Sentences Were Longer Than Across the Air Force
Of 26 convictions, 22 included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, compared with 3 months across Air Force Article 112a cases. A quarter of sentences were 8 months or longer.
Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 27% of convictions here (7 cases), compared with 14% in the rest of the Air Force. Sentences under 6 months made up 50%, compared with 72%. Sentences longer than one year were uncommon but more frequent than elsewhere: 2 of 26 (8%), compared with 5%. There was no confinement in 4 convictions (15%), compared with 9%.
These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force Article 112a cases in 2019–2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 15% | 9% |
| Under 6 months | 13 | 50% | 72% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 27% | 14% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1 | 4% | 3% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 2% |
Other Charges in the Same Cases
In 15 of the 26 cases, at least 1 other article was charged with Article 112a. The most common was Article 107, false official statement, in 8 cases. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 6, Article 92 (orders violation) in 3, and Article 86 (AWOL) and Article 82 (solicitation) in 2 each. The sentence figures include those other charges.
More General Courts-Martial Than in 2016–2018
General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 31% of these cases (8 of 26). Special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year, heard the rest. In 2016–2018, the general court-martial share was 6%.
The 2016–2018 period had 18 cases, about 6 a year. Since then there have been about 5 a year, counting full years only. Median confinement rose from 3 months to 5 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 50% to 67%. Convictions with confinement went from 83% to 85%. Small groups change with a few cases, so these figures show direction, not precision.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 18 | 26 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 23% |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 67% |
| General courts-martial | 6% | 31% |
Who Was Charged and Who Decided Guilt
By rank, the accused were 16 junior enlisted members, 8 NCOs, and 2 officers. That is a more senior group than in Air Force Article 112a cases overall. Junior enlisted means E-1 to E-4, and NCOs are E-5 to E-9. With only 2 officers, the officer figures above are based on very few cases.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 18 cases, officer panels decided 5, and an enlisted panel decided 1. Members heard 25% of the cases, compared with 20% in the rest of the Air Force.
Pleas in the Records
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least 1 charge. Only 13 of the 26 records list a plea: 10 guilty pleas and 3 contested cases. The contested share was 23%, compared with 19% Air Force-wide. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, and 2019 had the most cases here, so the plea figures are incomplete.
Air Force records never report plea agreements. There is no count of how many guilty pleas were made under one.
What the Records Do Not Show
Air Force records rarely list the charges in cases that end in a full acquittal. For that reason, this page does not report how often drug charges at Nellis ended in a full acquittal. The records also give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Nellis AFB, Nevada that charged Article 112a (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2016–2018 (18) and 2019–2023 (26). Comparisons use every Air Force case charging Article 112a in 2019–2023.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Nellis AFB, Nevada: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 30 Cases (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2019–2023? 46 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 16 Cases (the whole docket)
- Did Drug Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas Change After 2019? (same offense, another installation)
- Did Drug Cases at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Change After 2020? (same offense, another installation)
- Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025
- S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military (podcast, members)
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 112a Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2019–2023
- Elijah F. Brown
- Colin P. Eichenberger
- Michael W. Grant
- Steven J. Grocki
- Christopher D. James
- Christina M. Jimenez
- Brett A. Landry
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Roberto Ramirez
- Natalie D. Richardson
- Rebecca E. Schmidt
- Christopher M. Schumann
- Matthew P. Stoffel
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025
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.