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19 U.S.C. § 1703 — Seizure and forfeiture of vessels
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Vessels subject to seizure and forfeiture** Whenever any vessel which shall have been built, purchased, fitted out in whole or in part, or held, in the United States or elsewhere, for the purpose of being employed to defraud the revenue or to smuggle any merchandise into the United States, or to smuggle any merchandise into the territory of any foreign government in violation of the laws there in force, if under the laws of such foreign government any penalty or forfeiture is provided for violation of the laws of the United States respecting the customs revenue, or whenever any vessel which shall be found, or discovered to have been employed, or attempted to be employed, within the United States for any such purpose, or in anywise in assistance thereof, or whenever any vessel of the United States which shall be found, or discovered to have been, employed, or attempted to be employed at any place, for any such purpose, or is anywise in assistance thereof, if not subsequently forfeited to the United States or to a foreign government, is found at any place at which any such vessel may be examined by an officer of the customs in the enforcement of any law respecting the revenue, the said vessel and its cargo shall be seized and forfeited.
**(b) “Vessels of the United States” defined** Every vessel which is documented, owned, or controlled in the United States, and every vessel of foreign registry which is, directly or indirectly, substantially owned or controlled by any citizen of, or corporation incorporated, owned, or controlled in, the United States, shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed a vessel of the United States.
**(c) Acts constituting prima facie evidence vessel engaged in smuggling** For the purposes of this section, the fact that a vessel ha
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Source location: Title 19, Chapter 5, § 1703; chapter-005-smuggling.md
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**(a) Vessels subject to seizure and forfeiture** Whenever any vessel which shall have been built, purchased, fitted out in whole or in part, or held, in the United States or elsewhere, for the purpose of being employed to defraud the revenue or to smuggle any merchandise into the United States, or to smuggle any merchandise into the territory of any foreign government in violation of the laws there in force, if under the laws of such foreign government any penalty or forfeiture is provided for violation of the laws of the United States respecting the customs revenue, or whenever any vessel which shall be found, or discovered to have been employed, or attempted to be employed, within the United States for any such purpose, or in anywise in assistance thereof, or whenever any vessel of the United States which shall be found, or discovered to have been, employed, or attempted to be employed at any place, for any such purpose, or is anywise in assistance thereof, if not subsequently forfeited to the United States or to a foreign government, is found at any place at which any such vessel may be examined by an officer of the customs in the enforcement of any law respecting the revenue, the said vessel and its cargo shall be seized and forfeited.
**(b) “Vessels of the United States” defined** Every vessel which is documented, owned, or controlled in the United States, and every vessel of foreign registry which is, directly or indirectly, substantially owned or controlled by any citizen of, or corporation incorporated, owned, or controlled in, the United States, shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed a vessel of the United States.
**(c) Acts constituting prima facie evidence vessel engaged in smuggling** For the purposes of this section, the fact that a vessel has become subject to pursuit as provided in [section 1581 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title19-section1581&num=0&edition=prelim), or is a hovering vessel, or that a vessel fails, at any place within the customs waters of the United States or within a customs-enforcement area, to display lights as required by law, shall be prima facie evidence that such vessel is being, or has been, or is attempted to be employed to defraud the revenue of the United States.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Customs officers** Any officer of the customs may at any time go on board of any vessel or vehicle at any place in the United States or within the customs waters or, as he may be authorized, within a customs-enforcement area established under the Anti-Smuggling Act [[19 U.S.C. 1701](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title19-section1701&num=0&edition=prelim) et seq.], or at any other authorized place, without as well as within his district, and examine the manifest and other documents and papers and examine, inspect, and search the vessel or vehicle and every part thereof and any person, trunk, package, or cargo on board, and to this end may hail and stop such vessel or vehicle, and use all necessary force to compel compliance.
**(b) Officers of Department of the Treasury** Officers of the Department of the Treasury and other persons authorized by such department may go on board of any vessel at any place in the United States or within the customs waters and hail, stop, and board such vessel in the enforcement of the navigation laws and arrest or, in case of escape or attempted escape, pursue and arrest any person engaged in the breach or violation of the navigation laws.
**(c) Penalty for presenting forged, altered, or false documents** Any master of a vessel being examined as herein provided, who presents any forged, altered, or false document or paper to the examining officer, knowing the same to be forged, altered, or false and without revealing the fact shall, in addition to any forfeiture to which in consequence the vessel may be subject, be liable to a fine of not more than $5,000 nor less than $500.
**(d) Penalty for failure to stop at command** Any vessel or vehicle which, at any authorized place, is directed to come to a stop
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
Page 434
TITLE 19—CUSTOMS DUTIES
§ 1702
1 So in original.
bring the same into port, and, subject to regula-
tions of the Secretary of the Treasury, it shall
be their duty to pursue and seize or arrest and
otherwise enforce upon such vessel, merchan-
dise, or person, the provisions of law which are
made effective thereto in pursuance of sub-
section (a) in the same manner as such officers
are or may be authorized or required to do in
like case at any place in the United States by
virtue of any law respecting the revenue: Pro-
vided, That nothing contained in this section or
in any other provision of law respecting the rev-
enue shall be construed to authorize or to re-
quire any officer of the United States to enforce
any law thereof upon the high seas upon a for-
eign vessel in contravention of any treaty with
a foreign government enabling or permitting the
authorities of the United States to board, exam-
ine, search, seize, or otherwise to enforce upon
such vessel upon the high seas the laws of the
United States except as such authorities are or
may otherwise be enabled or permitted under
special arrangement with such foreign govern-
ment: Provided further, That none of the provi-
sions of this Act shall be construed to relieve
the Secretary of Commerce of any authority, re-
sponsibility, or jurisdiction now vested in or im-
posed on that officer.
(Aug. 5, 1935, ch. 438, title I, § 1, 49 Stat. 517.)
Editorial Notes
REFERENCES IN TEXT
This Act, referred to in text, means act Aug. 5, 1935,
which enacted this chapter and sections 1432a and 1601a
of this title and amended sections 70, 483, 1401, 1434,
1436, 1441, 1581, 1584, 1585, 1586, 1587, 1591, 1592, 1615, 1619,
1621 of this title, sections 60, 106, and 288 of former Title
46, Shipping, and sect
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