The overwhelming majority—more than 80 percent—of those convicted of federal drug trafficking in the United States are citizens of the country, and four out of five people arrested for fentanyl trafficking are also Americans, according to official data.
In the context of the growing chorus of accusations against Mexico for its role in illicit drug use in the United States, a Mexican newspaper examined the available data on who is arrested and imprisoned for drug trafficking in the United States and who transports illegal substances to the country from abroad.
Government data confirms that Mexicans and other foreigners participate in drug trafficking, but the overwhelming majority of those convicted for this crime are U.S. citizens.
The United States has one of the largest incarcerated populations per capita in the world, and after a decade of decline, the number of people in prison began to rise again starting in 2022, according to the most recent data from the Sentencing Project, an independent research center dedicated to criminal justice issues.
Nearly 2 million people are incarcerated, according to analysis by the Prison Policy Initiative, another nonpartisan project focused on detention in more than 5,000 federal, state, and local facilities.
Nearly 1 million people are arrested each year in the United States for drug-related offenses, most for simple possession. Not all are incarcerated. Of the nearly 2 million currently in prison, one in five is serving time for a crime related to illicit substances, reports the Drug Policy Alliance, another independent organization that has advocated for decriminalizing narcotics and promoting a public health model that addresses addiction.
But those accused of drug trafficking in the United States are tried in federal courts and incarcerated in federal prisons.
Of the 154,155 individuals incarcerated in federal prisons as of March 2025, 62,260—approximately 40 percent—are serving sentences for drug trafficking offenses, according to the United States Sentencing Commission, an autonomous government agency within the judicial branch of government.
