District Sentencing

D. Or. · Drug TraffickingFY2018–FY2025

Districts › District of Oregon

Drug Trafficking in the District of Oregon

D. Or. · Ninth Circuit · Drug Trafficking nationally

The datafile contains cases reported to the Commission with sentencing documents. Sentence length statistics use the Commission's capped variable (sentences of 470 months or longer, including life, are recorded as 470 months) and exclude sentences of probation or a fine only. Figures are aggregates of past cases and are not a prediction for any case.

240cases, FY20251,395 over FY2018–FY2025
42median prison monthsnational, this offence: 62
8%within guideline rangenational 30%
97%cases with a prison termnational 97%

§ 1Length of prison terms

13%
2%
11%
15%
21%
24%
11%
2%
<10
<10
median 42 mo
under 6 mo6–11 mo1–2 yr2–3 yr3–5 yr5–10 yr10–15 yr15–20 yr20–30 yr30 yr+life
Share of cases with a prison term, by length of the term (1,348 cases with a prison term; life and terms of 470 months or more counted as life). Grey: drug trafficking offences nationally.

Interquartile range 20–72 months; mean 53. <10 cases at the Commission's 470-month cap (life or longer).

§ 2Summary

1,395 drug trafficking offences were sentenced in the District of Oregon across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 240 of them in FY2025; that is 40% of the district's caseload.

The median prison term was 42 months (3 yr 6 mo), shorter than the national median for drug trafficking offences (62 months) and longer than the Ninth Circuit median (36). Half of prison terms fell between 20 and 72 months; 97% of cases carried a prison term.

8% of these sentences were within the guideline range (nationally for this offence type: 30%); 76% were below the range on a government motion and 14% below it for other reasons.

FY2025 had more cases than FY2018 (240 against 114). The median prison term in FY2025 (45 months) was shorter than in FY2018 (57 months).

These are aggregates of past cases. The guideline range for any case depends on its offence level, criminal history and statutory minimums, and the sentence on the court's findings; no figure here estimates an outcome.

§ 3Position relative to the guideline range

Within guideline range 8%Above range 2%Below range, government sponsored 76%Below range, other 14%Not determinable 0

§ 4Compared with the district, the circuit and the nation

MeasureD. Or., drug traffickingD. Or., all offences9th Cir., drug traffickingUS, drug trafficking
Cases per fiscal year1744323,51018,239
Share of district caseload40.3%100%——
Median prison months42313662
Mean prison months5348—81
Cases with a prison term97%89%96%97%
Within guideline range8%20%9%30%
Above range2%2%1%2%
Below range, government sponsored76%60%73%42%
Below range, other14%18%17%26%
Median final offence level2521—27

§ 5Trend by fiscal year

114
149
107
154
146
193
292
240
’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Drug Trafficking cases sentenced per fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)
57
59
44
30
46
37
37
45
’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Median prison months by fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)
Fiscal yearCasesPrisonMedian monthsWithin rangeBelow, gov.Below, otherAbove
FY2018114—5716%65%19%0%
FY201914993%599%62%27%—
FY2020107—4410%70%20%0%
FY2021154—307%71%21%—
FY2022146—46—92%——
FY2023193—379%81%8%—
FY2024292—376%80%11%4%
FY2025240—458%80%9%—

§ 6Criminal history

Category I49% · 44%
Category II14% · 12%
Category III12% · 15%
Category IV9% · 9%
Category V5% · 6%
Category VI12% · 14%

Share of cases at each final criminal history category; grey figure: drug trafficking offences nationally.

§ 7Guidelines applied

Primary guidelines the Commission associates with this offence type, with the district's caseload under each across all offence types.

§ 8Questions and answers

What is the typical sentence for drug trafficking offences in the District of Oregon?

The median prison term over FY2018–FY2025 was 42 months (3 yr 6 mo), with the middle half of terms between 20 and 72 months. 97% of cases carried a prison term. The national median for drug trafficking offences is 62 months.

How often are drug trafficking offences sentenced below the guideline range here?

76% of sentences were below the range on a government motion and 14% below it for other reasons; 8% were within the range. The Commission's categories are explained in the guide to how the guidelines work.

How does this compare with the rest of the country?

Nationally, drug trafficking offences had a median prison term of 62 months and a within-range share of 30% over the same period. The district's figures are below on median term and lower than the national within-range share.

Which guidelines are involved?

The most common primary guidelines for these cases are §2D1.1, §none and §2D1.2.

Is this a prediction for a particular case?

No. The figures are aggregates of sentences already imposed, as recorded by the US Sentencing Commission. They are not legal advice and do not estimate the outcome of any case.

§ 9Other offence types in the District of Oregon

§ 10Provenance

Source: United States Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles, fiscal years 2018–2025 (US government works), aggregated by this site; the FY2025 file is dated 29 Apr 2026. Offence type is the Commission's OFFGUIDE code 10; district is CIRCDIST 75. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.