# Justice Manual § 9-100.020: Attempt and Conspiracy—21 U.S.C. § 846; 963

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.020

## Section

- **Citation:** Justice Manual § 9-100.020
- **Heading:** Attempt and Conspiracy—21 U.S.C. § 846; 963
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 9: Criminal / 9-100.000 - The Controlled Substances Act / Justice Manual § 9-100.020

## Text

Section 846 of Title 21 prohibits conspiracies and attempts to violate any substantive offense established by Subchapter
I
of Title 21 ("Control and Enforcement")—in other words, Section 846 makes it a crime to conspire to violate or attempt to violate any substantive offense set forth in 21 U.S.C. §§ 801-904. Analogously, Section 963 of Title 21 prohibits conspiracies and attempts to violate any substantive offense established by Subchapter
II
of Title 21 ("Import and Export")—in other words, Section 963 makes it a crime to conspire to violate or attempt to violate any substantive offense set forth in 21 U.S.C. §§ 951-971.

The general conspiracy statute (18 U.S.C. § 371) may not be used to charge a conspiracy involving those sections.
See
Principles of Federal Prosecution,
JM 9-27.300
("Once the decision to prosecute has been made, the attorney for the government should charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses.").

[updated January 2020]

## Nearby sections

- [Justice Manual § 9-100.001 The Controlled Substances Act—Generally](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.001.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.010 Scheduling of Controlled Substances and Listed Chemicals—21 U.S.C. §§ 812; 813; 802(34) and (35)](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.010.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.020 Attempt and Conspiracy—21 U.S.C. § 846; 963](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.020.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.030 Death Penalty for Controlled Substances Offenses](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.030.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.040 Forfeitures—21 U.S.C. § 853](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.040.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.100 Controlled Substance Destruction Procedures](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.100.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.200 Procedures Relating to Expungement of Criminal Records Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3607](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.200.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-100.500 Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.500.md)

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-100.020. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.