The Drug Enforcement Administration referred 753 suspects to U.S. Attorneys for criminal prosecution in January 2026.

In January 2026 U.S. Attorneys acted on 543 DEA referrals they had received, charging 407 defendants or 75 percent, with crimes in U.S. district courts and closing 136 DEA referrals without prosecution.

U.S. Attorneys reported taking an average of 751 days days between receipt of a DEA criminal referral and reaching either sentencing or not guilty verdict in court during January 2026.

In January 2026, U.S. Attorneys reported out of 541 prosecutions of DEA-led investigations, a total of 483 defendants were convicted (or 89%), while 58 were not convicted.

In January 2026 U.S. Attorneys reported more individuals convicted in DEA-led investigations relative to population size in the W Virg, N than in any other federal district.

In January 2026, U.S. Attorneys reported that individuals convicted in U.S. district courts after investigations led by the DEA received a median prison sentence of 70 months.