CHAPTER 9. California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law [13880. - 13884.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 9.

in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13880. Section 13880.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the production and sale of narcotics is an ever increasing problem because of the substantial illicit profits derived therefrom. The Legislature further finds and declares that a substantial and disproportionate amount of serious crime is associated with the cultivation, processing, manufacturing, and sale of narcotics. (b) The Legislature finds and declares that the level of production, distribution, and sale of narcotics in small counties in this state threatens the well-being not only of citizens of those counties, but of the rest of the state as well. Since many of these counties have experienced less growth in their general purpose revenues than the rest of the state, and yet are required to bear the burden of funding disproportionate criminal justice costs associated with the production, distribution, and sale of narcotics, the Legislature recognizes the need to provide financial assistance for these counties. (c) The Legislature intends to support intensified efforts by district attorneys’ offices to prosecute drug producers and sellers through organizational and operational techniques that have been proven effective in selected jurisdictions in this and other states.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13881. Section 13881.

(a) There is hereby established in the office a program of financial and technical assistance for district attorneys’ offices, designated the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law. All funds appropriated to the office for the purposes of this chapter shall be administered and disbursed by the director in consultation with the California Council on Criminal Justice, and shall to the greatest extent feasible be coordinated or consolidated with federal funds that may be made available for these purposes. (b) The director is authorized to allocate and award funds to counties in which the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law is implemented in substantial compliance with the policies and criteria set forth in this chapter. (c) The allocation and award of funds shall be made upon application executed by the county’s district attorney and approved by its board of supervisors. Funds disbursed under this chapter shall not supplant local funds that would, in the absence of the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law, be made available to support the prosecution of felony drug cases. Funds available under this program shall not be subject to review, as specified in Section 14780 of the Government Code. (d) The director shall prepare and issue written program and administrative guidelines and procedures for the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Program consistent with this chapter, which shall be submitted to the Chairpersons of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety and the Senate Committee on Criminal Procedure. These guidelines shall permit the selection of a county for the allocation and award of funds only on a finding by the office that the county is experiencing a proportionately significant increase in major narcotic cases. Further, the guidelines shall provide for the allocation and award of funds to small county applicants, as designated by the director. The guidelines shall also provide that any funds received by a county under this chapter shall be used only for the prosecution of cases involving major narcotic dealers. For purposes of this subdivision, “small county” means a county having a population of 200,000 or less.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13882. Section 13882.

California major narcotic vendors prosecution units receiving funds under this chapter shall concentrate enhanced prosecution efforts and resources upon individuals identified under selection criteria set forth in Section 13883. Enhanced prosecution efforts and resources shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (a) “Vertical” prosecutorial representation, whereby the prosecutor who makes the initial filing or appearance in a drug case will perform all subsequent court appearances on that particular case through its conclusion, including the sentencing phase. (b) Assignment of highly qualified investigators and prosecutors to drug cases. (c) Significant reduction of caseloads for investigators and prosecutors assigned to drug cases.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13883. Section 13883.

(a) An individual may be the subject of the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law prosecution efforts who is under arrest for the commission or attempted commission of one or more felonies relating to controlled substances in violation of Section 11351, 11352, 11358, 11378, 11378.5, 11379, 11379.5, or 11383 of the Health and Safety Code. (b) In applying the criteria set forth in subdivision (a), a district attorney may, consistent with the provisions of subdivision (d) of Section 13881, elect to limit drug prosecution efforts to persons arrested for any one or more of the felonies listed in subdivision (a) if crime statistics demonstrate that the incidence of that felony or felonies presents a particularly serious problem in the county. (c) In exercising the prosecutorial discretion granted by this section, the district attorney shall consider (1) the character, background, and prior criminal background of the defendant, and (2) the number and the seriousness of the offenses currently charged against the defendant.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13884. Section 13884.

(a) Each district attorney’s office establishing a California major narcotic vendors prosecution unit and receiving state support under this chapter shall adopt and pursue the following policies for the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law cases: (1) All reasonable prosecutorial efforts shall be made to resist the pretrial release of a charged defendant selected for prosecution under the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law. (2) All reasonable prosecutorial efforts shall be made to persuade the court to impose the most severe authorized sentence upon a person convicted after prosecution under the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law. (3) All reasonable prosecutorial efforts shall be made to reduce the time between arrest and disposition of charge against an individual selected for prosecution under the California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law. (b) The selection criteria set forth in Section 13883 shall be adhered to for each California Major Narcotic Vendors Prosecution Law case unless, in the reasonable exercise of prosecutor’s discretion, extraordinary circumstances require the departure from those policies in order to promote the general purposes and intent of this chapter.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026