Drug Trafficking in Broward County, Florida
141 cases (2025) · Broward County courts
Updated September 2026 · 2025 data
Broward County prosecuted 141 drug trafficking cases in 2025 with conviction-focused outcomes. The 93.6% guilty rate with withheld adjudication at 3.5%—well above the statewide 0.7%—indicates judges more readily shield convicted defendants from formal conviction records. Dismissal at 2.8% aligns closely with the statewide 2.6% rate, offering limited alternatives to conviction. No diversion access was recorded despite the statewide 0.4% baseline, eliminating an exit path for lower-level trafficking participants.
Trafficking sentences averaged 2,063 days with a median of 1,096 days, substantial but not at the extreme range. Prison confinement applied to 61.7% of defendants, with only 7.8% confined to county jail—most of the remainder received non-custodial or suspended sentences. Probation averaged 1,918 days, imposing extended community supervision. These outcomes reflect serious treatment of trafficking offenses balanced by judicial discretion to avoid formal conviction records in roughly 3.5% of cases.
Citing these figures? Attribution line and monthly data pack.
Before Court: State Attorney Decisions
Not every Drug Trafficking charge in Broward County makes it in front of a judge. Of 1,011 prosecutor decisions on Drug Trafficking charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 27.0% — below the 35.0% statewide rate. These decisions happen early in a case, before trial.
Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney case data (2023-2025). Rates are per charge, not per defendant — a dropped charge often reflects a plea agreement on another charge in the same case, not the case going away. Percentages are of charges receiving a prosecution decision; transfers between courts are excluded. Court outcome data on this page is a separate dataset covering cases that reached disposition. Statewide charging patterns: The Florida Prosecution Report.
Outcome Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Case outcomes (2025)
Largest outcomeGuilty — 93.6% of 141 cases.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 141 cases · 2025 — FloridaCourtFile.com
Sentencing Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted (2025)
Confinement-type detail below is computed across all available years (2023-2025).
| Confinement Type | Count | Avg Sentence (confined) |
|---|---|---|
| State Prison Facility | 172 | 5.9 years |
| County Jail | 21 | 10.2 months |
Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Drug Trafficking sentencing in Broward County.
Demographics (2025)
Demographic data reflects systemic patterns in the criminal justice system and should not be used to draw conclusions about any racial or ethnic group. Disparities may reflect differences in policing, prosecution, and socioeconomic factors rather than actual crime rates.
| Race | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 95 | 94.7% | 4.2% |
| Not Available | 46 | 91.3% | 0.0% |
Age Distribution (2025)
Year-Over-Year Trends
Exhibit · Disposition trends
| Year | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate | Avg Sentence (confined) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 30 | 93.3% | 0.0% | 3.3 years |
| 2024 | 85 | 96.5% | 1.2% | 6.3 years |
| 2025 | 141 | 93.6% | 2.8% | 5.3 years |
Charge Level Breakdown
| Level | Degree | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Felony | First Degree | 242 |
| Felony | Life | 10 |
| Felony | Second Degree | 4 |
Related Charges in Broward County
Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.
| Charge | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic Offense | 6,643 | 22.2% | 1.7% |
| Larceny / Theft | 3,223 | 62.6% | 1.7% |
| Drug Possession | 2,033 | 54.5% | 12.2% |
| Resisting Officer | 1,592 | 52.6% | 5.2% |
| Trespassing | 1,381 | 55.9% | 4.6% |
| Other | 1,341 | 33.0% | 32.5% |
| Battery | 830 | 54.1% | 8.4% |
| Fraud | 992 | 55.0% | 3.2% |
Cite this page
FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Drug Trafficking in Broward County, Florida (2025). Based on 141 public court records; last updated September 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/drug-trafficking/broward
About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for Broward County. "Guilty" includes all cases where the defendant was found guilty. "Adjudication withheld" is a Florida-specific disposition where guilt is found but the court withholds formal adjudication under FL Statute 948.01. "Dismissed" includes all cases dismissed by the court or prosecution.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 141 cases (2025) · Data last updated September 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com