What are mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking?

A trafficking conviction carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence tied to the weight involved. Mandatory means the court lacks discretion to go below it, regardless of the person's history, circumstances, or role.

This is what makes trafficking charges different in kind rather than degree. In most cases a judge weighs mitigation. Here, once the conviction is entered at a given weight, the floor is set.

The practical consequences follow. Weight becomes the central fact, because a small difference can move the minimum substantially. Negotiations frequently focus on the charged weight rather than on guilt. And the decision whether to try the case looks different when the alternative is a fixed floor.

There are narrow statutory paths that can permit a sentence below the minimum, addressed next.