Drug Trafficking Statistics in the United States

Posted on July 6, 2023 in Drug Crimes,News

Drug trafficking is a serious crime that is highly prevalent in the United States. It is a complex and criminal enterprise that involves the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of illegal drugs – such as heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and others. In recent years, drug trafficking has become a major concern for law enforcement agencies as approximately 61.2 million Americans aged 12 and older used illicit drugs in 2021. It is a widespread issue, and the impact of drug trafficking can be felt across the United States

What is Drug Trafficking vs. Drug Possession?

Drug trafficking and drug possession are two distinct criminal offenses.

Drug Trafficking: is the illegal production, distribution, sale, and transportation of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. It involves the movement of large quantities of drugs across borders or within a country.
Drug Possession: is the act of having illegal drugs on your person or property. It can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the type and quantity of the drugs involved

Why is Drug Trafficking an Issue in the United States

For decades the United States has been dealing with drug trafficking, and the US is deeply affected by the crime and violence created by transnational criminal organizations – including the cartel from Mexico. The illegal drug trade is a multi-billion dollar industry that brings with it numerous consequences, including addiction, violence, and economic instability.

The DEA estimates that drug trafficking organizations in the United States generate more than $60 billion annually as the demand for drugs in the US is quite high.
Addiction is a major problem in the United States. In 2021, 106,000 people died from a drug-related overdose, with the hardest-hit state being West Virginia.

What Drugs are Being Trafficked in the US

In 2021, investigations into the 17,520 drug trafficking offenses that happened in the United States found that 7 drug types were responsible for 97.8% of drug trafficking offenses. The 7 drug types include methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, and oxycodone.

Out of the 7 most common drugs trafficked, methamphetamine was the most commonly trafficked drug.
However, fentanyl is the deadliest as it caused 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021.

The breakdown of the distribution of drug types can be found below:

distribution of drug types

What Drug is Trafficked the Most in Each State

Further investigation into the drug trafficking data for 2021 revealed the most commonly trafficked drug in the United States is methamphetamine. However, along the east coast fentanyl, crack, heroin, and cocaine are also prevalent. The map below demonstrates the primary drug type in federal drug trafficking cases in each state.

primary drug type in federal cases

What are Drug Trafficking Schedules

The United States classifies different drugs into five different schedules based on their potential for abuse and dependency, and their accepted medical uses. The classification system is known as the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and was passed by Congress in 1970. The classification of a drug into a particular schedule is determined by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) based on different factors, including its potential for abuse, pharmacological effects, and scientific evidence of its medical benefits.

Schedule I: These drugs have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. Examples include heroin, LSD, and marijuana (under federal law).
Schedule II: These drugs have a high potential for abuse, with severe psychological or physical dependence liability, but have some accepted medical uses. Examples include cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioid painkillers like oxycodone and fentanyl.
Schedule III: These drugs have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, with accepted medical uses. Examples include anabolic steroids, ketamine, and some barbiturates.
Schedule IV: These drugs have a low potential for abuse and limited physical or psychological dependence liability, with accepted medical uses. Examples include benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax, and the sleep aid Ambien.
Schedule V: These drugs have a lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV drugs and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Examples include cough suppressants that contain codeine.

Punishment and Average Sentencing for Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders

The average sentence length for federal drug trafficking offenders in 2021 was 74 months, but this varied depending on the type of drug being trafficked. The breakdown of the average sentencing length for each drug type can be found in the infographic below. Out of the drug trafficking offenders convicted of a federal crime:

96.6% were sentenced to prison
67.8% were convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty and of those offenders, 58.8% were relieved of that penalty.

average sentencing length

Where is Drug Trafficking the Worst

Drug trafficking is a problem across the United States. Data from 2021 displays that the districts with the most federal drug trafficking offenders are all located along the southern half of the United States, as the bulk of drugs trafficked into the U.S. come from Mexico. The following districts (which are different from states) had the highest number of federal drug trafficking offenders in 2021:

Southern District of California (1,604)
Western District of Texas (998)
Southern District of Texas (937)
Northern District of Texas (625)
District of Arizona (571)

What State Has the Highest Number of Drug Traffickers

As demonstrated by the map below, Texas and California have the highest total number of federal drug traffickers due to their large populations and proximity to the border. Other states with a high number of drug federal drug trafficking offenders are: Florida, New York, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

number of federal drug trafficking offenders

Number of Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders per 100,000 People

If state population is taken into account, the states with the highest number of drug trafficking offenders per 100,000 people are: North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont, Iowa, Texas, Missouri, and New Hampshire.

State	State Population	Number of Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders	# of Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders (in each state) Per 100,000 People
Alabama	5,024,279	268	5.334
Alaska	737,438	50	6.78
Arizona	7,529,767	581	7.716
Arkansas	3,011,524	241	8.003
California	39,538,223	2,303	5.825
Colorado	5,987,979	119	1.987
Connecticut	5,987,979	137	2.288
Delaware	1,001,149	24	2.397
DC	712,816	38	5.331
Florida	21,944,577	796	3.627
Georgia	10,711,908	383	3.575
Hawaii	1,455,271	79	5.429
Idaho	1,853,746	98	5.287
Illinois	12,689,334	335	2.64
Indiana	6,785,528	251	3.699
Iowa	3,190,369	350	10.971
Kansas	2,937,880	142	4.833
Kentucky	4,505,836	292	6.48
Louisiana	4,667,990	164	3.513
Maine	1,361,574	109	8.005
Maryland	6,177,224	201	3.254
Massachusetts	7,120,804	179	2.514
Michigan	10,084,442	246	2.439
Minnesota	5,696,424	96	1.685
Mississippi	2,961,279	100	3.377
Missouri	6,164,195	547	8.874
Montana	1,090,095	142	13.026
Nebraska	1,961,504	144	7.341
Nevada	3,143,335	79	2.513
New Hampshire	1,384,742	118	8.521
New Jersey	9,288,994	230	2.476
New Mexico	2,106,361	260	12.344
New York	20,215,751	661	3.27
North Carolina	10,801,845	613	5.675
North Dakota	779,094	128	16.429
Ohio	11,703,668	546	4.665
Oklahoma	3,981,782	222	5.575
Oregon	4,268,055	154	3.608
Pennsylvania	13,011,844	438	3.366
Rhode Island	1,097,408	28	2.551
South Carolina	5,251,276	260	4.951
South Dakota	898,332	143	15.918
Tennessee	6,949,421	563	8.101
Texas	29,768,737	2,917	9.799
Utah	3,356,635	244	7.269
Vermont	623,347	74	11.871
Virginia	8,631,393	352	4.078
Washington	7,769,097	184	2.368
West Virginia	1,784,787	270	15.128
Wisconsin	5,893,718	167	2.834
Wyoming	572,884	48	8.379

Change in the Number of Offenders from 2017 to 2021

Between the years 2017 and 2021 data demonstrates the following:

Methamphetamine increased 17.2%;
Crack Cocaine decreased 32.0%;
Powder Cocaine decreased 26.2%;
Heroin decreased 33.8%;
Fentanyl increased 897.6%;
Oxycodone decreased 61.9%;
Marijuana decreased 63.7%.

number of federal drug trafficking offenders

Demographics of Federal Drug Trafficking Offenders

While every drug trafficker is different, law enforcement officials found the following demographics were common among federal drug trafficking offenders:

82.2% of drug trafficking offenders were men.

The race distribution among federal drug traffickers:

44.7% were Hispanic
26.1% were White
26.0% were Black
3.2% were other races
- Drug traffickers are 37 years old on average
- 82.6% were United States citizens.
- 43.5% had little or no prior criminal history while 5.6% were career offenders.

Sentences were increased for:

possessing a weapon (24.3%);
a leadership or supervisory role in the offense (5.9%)

Sentences were decreased for:

Minor or minimal participation in the offense (20.4%)
Meeting the safety valve criteria in sentencing guidelines (36.7%)

This study was conducted using data primarily from the United States Sentencing Commission on federal drug trafficking offenders in the fiscal year 2021.

If you would like to utilize any of the images, findings, or data in this study for a report or republishing purposes, please link to this page to provide credit. If you would like to schedule a consultation to speak with a Phoenix drug crimes lawyer, please contact our firm today.

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