Federal Drug Trafficking Penalties (21 USC 841)

Penalties for federal drug trafficking convictions vary according to the quantity of the controlled substance involved in the transaction. The following list is a sample of the range and severity of federal penalties imposed for first convictions. Penalties for subsequent convictions are twice as severe.

If death or serious bodily injury result from the use of a controlled substance which has been illegally distributed, the person convicted on federal charges of distributing the substance faces mandatory life sentence and fines ranging up to $8 million.

Persons convicted on federal charges of drug trafficking within 1,000 feet of a University (21 USC 845a) face penalties of prison terms and fines which are twice as high as the regular penalties for the offense, with a mandatory prison sentence of at least 1 year.

Drug/Substance	Amount	Penalty - 1st Conviction
Barbiturates	Any amount	Up to 5 years prison. Fine up to $250,000
Cocaine	5 kgs. or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
Cocaine	Less than 100 grams	10-63 months prison. Fine up to $1 million
Crack Cocaine	50 grams or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
	5-49 grams	Not less than 5 years prison, not more than 40 years. Fine up to $2 million
	5 grams or less	10-63 months prison. Fine up to $1 million
Ecstasy	Any amount	Up to 20 years imprisonment. Fine up to $1 million. 3 years of supervised release (following prison)
GHB	Any amount	Up to 20 years imprisonment. Fine up to $1 million. 3 years of supervised release (following prison)
Hashish	10-100 kg	Up to 20 years imprisonment. Fine up to $1 million.
Hashish	10 kg or less	Up to 5 years imprisonment. Fine up to $250,000
Hash Oil	1-100 kg	Up to 20 years imprisonment. Fine up to $1 million.
Hash Oil	1 kg or less	Up to 5 years imprisonment. Fine up to $250,000
Heroin	1 kg or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
	100-999 grams	Not less than 5 years prison, not more than 40 years. Fine up to $2 million
	100 grams or less	10-63 months prison. Fine up to $1 million
Ketamine	Any amount	Up to 5 years imprisonment. Fine up to $250,000. 2 years supervised release
LSD	10 grams or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
LSD	1-10 grams	Not less than 5 years prison, not more than 40 years. Fine up to $2 million
Marijuana	1000 kg or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
	100-999 kg	Not less than 5 years prison, not more than 40 years. Fine up to $2 million
	50-99 kg	Up to 20 years imprisonment. Fine up to $1 million
	50 kg or less	Up to 5 years imprisonment. Fine up to $250,000
Methamphetamine	50 grams or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
	10-49 grams	Not less than 5 years prison, not more than 40 years. Fine up to $2 million
	10 grams or less	10-21 months prison. Fine up to $1 million
PCP	100 grams or more	Not less than 10 years prison, not more than life. Fine up to $4 million
	10-99 grams	Not less than 5 years prison, not more than 40 years. Fine up to $2 million
	10 grams or less	10-21 months prison. Fine up to $1 million
Rohypnol	1 gram or more	Up to 20 years imprisonment. Fine up to $1 million
Rohypnol	less than 30 mgs	Up to 5 years imprisonment. Fine up to $250,000