Crack Cocaine Trafficking

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Of the 66,662 cases reported to the Commission in fiscal year 2025, 16,234 involved drugs.1 Of those, 16,144 cases involved drug trafficking;2 3% of such cases involved crack cocaine (down 57% since fiscal year 2021).3

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Individual and Offense Characteristics

 

 

  • 90% of individuals sentenced for crack cocaine trafficking were men.
     
  • 73% were Black, 16% were Hispanic, 10% were White, and 2% were Other races.
     
  • Their average age was 39 years.
     
  • 97% were United States citizens.
     
  • 26% had little or no prior criminal history (Criminal History Category I); 13% were sentenced under the career offender guideline (§4B1.1).
     
  • The median base offense level in these cases was 26, corresponding to between 112 and 196 grams of crack cocaine.
     
  • Sentences were increased for:
    • possessing a weapon (57%);
    • a leadership or supervisory role in the offense (7%).
       
  • Sentences were decreased for:
    • minor or minimal participation in the offense (6%);
    • meeting the safety valve criteria in the sentencing guidelines (8%).
       
  • The top five districts for crack cocaine trafficking offenses were:
    • District of Vermont (52);
    • Southern District of New York (40);
    • Eastern District of Missouri (21);
    • Western District of Pennsylvania (20);
    • Eastern District of North Carolina (19).

 

Punishment

 

  • The average sentence for individuals trafficking crack cocaine was 70 months.
     
  • 96% were sentenced to prison.
     
  • 21% were convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty; 33% of those individuals were relieved of that penalty.

 

 

 

Sentences Relative to the Guideline Range

  • 45% of sentences for crack cocaine trafficking were under the Guidelines Manual.
    • 25% were within the guideline range.
       
    • 15% were substantial assistance departures.
      • The average sentence reduction was 72%.
         
    • 4% were some other downward departure.
      • The average sentence reduction was 39%.
         
    • Less than 1% were upward departures.4
       
  • 55% of sentences for crack cocaine trafficking were variances.
    • 54% were downward variances.
      • The average sentence reduction was 49%.
         
    • 2% were upward variances.
      • The average sentence increase was 131%.

 

 

 

 

  • The average guideline minimum and the average sentence imposed fluctuated over the past five years.
    • The average guideline minimum increased from 96 months in fiscal year 2021 to 111 months in fiscal year 2025. 
       
    • The average sentence imposed was 69 months in fiscal year 2021 and 70 months in fiscal year 2025. 

 

 

 

1 Drug offenses include cases where individuals were sentenced under USSG Chapter Two, Part D (Drugs). There were 478 individuals sentenced for crack cocaine offenses sentenced under USSG Chapter Two, Part D (Drugs) in FY 2025.

2 Individuals sentenced for drug trafficking were sentenced under USSG §§2D1.1 (Drug Trafficking), 2D1.2 (Protected Locations), 2D1.5 (Continuing Criminal Enterprise), 2D1.6 (Use of a Communication Facility), 2D1.8 (Rent/Manage Drug Establishment), 2D1.10 (Endangering Human Life), or 2D1.14 (Narco-Terrorism).

3 Cases with incomplete sentencing information were excluded from the analysis.

4 The Commission does not report the average for categories with fewer than three cases.

5 “Early Disposition Program" (or EDP) departures are departures where the government sought a sentence below the guideline range because the defendant participated in the government’s Early Disposition Program, through which cases are resolved in an expedited manner. See USSG §5K3.1.

SOURCE: United States Sentencing Commission, FY 2021 through FY 2025 Datafiles, USSCFY21-USSCFY25.

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