When people are talking about drug trafficking under Texas law, they are usually talking about what’s called the delivery of a controlled substance. The statutes, under the Controlled Substance Act, are talking about the manufacture and delivery of controlled substances. Those are the same offenses, but different ways to commit those offenses, such as manufacturing a drug like methamphetamine or delivering the drug methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin, which are all penalty group one substances.

When people are talking about drug trafficking, they’re talking about anything involving the sale of drugs and controlled substances. It would be like delivering or selling a gram of cocaine. The penalties can range from stage jail felony-level offenses, which are the lowest felony-level offenses. It carries six months up to two years in a state jail facility and any time in a state jail facility day for day. This means if you have six months in the state jail, you do six months. There’s no early release or parole. That is the lowest level of offense for delivery of under a gram of, say, cocaine. That would be a state jail felony offense.

But the penalties get more severe as the amount of drugs increases. From 1 to 4 grams, that would be a third-degree felony. For 4 to 200 grams, that would be a second-degree felony, and for a larger amount, that would be a first-degree felony. It can even get more serious, say over 400 grams – It’s a first-degree felony with a minimum of 15 years in prison.

First-degree felonies carry up to life in prison – up to 99 years or life. So, the penalties for drug trafficking in Texas of what the statutes are calling the delivery of controlled substances are very severe, ranging from a state jail felony up to life in prison.

Summary

In Texas, drug trafficking, often referred to as the delivery of controlled substances, carries severe penalties. It involves manufacturing or selling substances like methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin. Penalties vary based on the amount delivered, ranging from a state jail felony for small quantities to a first-degree felony for more significant amounts. Sentences can include life in prison, with no possibility of parole for certain offenses.

What Is The Penalty For Drug Trafficking In Texas?

Summary