Supporting U.S.C.

Page 235

TITLE 19—CUSTOMS DUTIES

PLAN AMENDMENTS NOT REQUIRED UNTIL
JANUARY 1, 1989
For provisions directing that if any amendments
made by subtitle A or subtitle C of title XI [§§ 1101–1147
and 1171–1177] or title XVIII [§§ 1801–1899A] of Pub. L.
99–514 require an amendment to any plan, such plan
amendment shall not be required to be made before the
first plan year beginning on or after Jan. 1, 1989, see
section 1140 of Pub. L. 99–514, as amended, set out as a
note under section 401 of Title 26, Internal Revenue
Code.

§ 1565. Cartage
The cartage of merchandise entered for warehouse shall be done by—
(1) cartmen appointed and licensed by the
Customs Service; or
(2) carriers designated under section 1551 of
this title to carry bonded merchandise;
who shall give bond, in a penal sum to be fixed
by the Customs Service, for the protection of
the Government against any loss of, or damage
to, the merchandise while being so carted. The
cartage of merchandise designated for examination at the appraiser’s stores and of merchandise
taken into custody by the customs officer as unclaimed shall be performed by such persons as
may be designated, under contract or otherwise,
by the Secretary of the Treasury, and under
such regulations for the protection of the owners thereof and of the revenue as the Secretary
of the Treasury shall prescribe.
(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, § 565, 46 Stat. 747;
Pub. L. 91–271, title III, § 301(x), June 2, 1970, 84
Stat. 290; Pub. L. 103–182, title VI, § 666, Dec. 8,
1993, 107 Stat. 2215.)
PRIOR PROVISIONS
Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 565, 42
Stat. 979. That section was superseded by section 565 of
act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed
by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.
Act June 22, 1874, ch. 391, § 25, 18 Stat. 191, required
cartage of merchandise in the custody of the government to be let to the lowest responsible bidder, prior to
repeal by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 643, 42
Stat. 989.
AMENDMENTS
1993—Pub. L. 103–182 amended first sentence generally. Prior to amendment, first sentence read as follows: ‘‘The cartage of merchandise entered for warehouse shall be done by cartmen to be appointed and licensed by the appropriate customs officer and who
shall give a bond in a penal sum to be fixed by such customs officer, for the protection of the Government
against any loss of, or damage to, such merchandise
while being so carted.’’
1970—Pub. L. 91–271 substituted references to appropriate customs officer of customs officer for references
to collector of customs or collector wherever appearing.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1970 AMENDMENT
For effective date of amendment by Pub. L. 91–271,
see section 203 of Pub. L. 91–271, set out as a note under
section 1500 of this title.
TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS
For transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Customs Service of the
Department of the Treasury, including functions of the
Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto, to the Sec-

§ 1581

retary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 203(1), 551(d), 552(d), and
557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department
of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section
542 of Title 6.

PART V—ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS
§ 1581. Boarding vessels
(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 customsenforcement area established under the AntiSmuggling Act [19 U.S.C. 1701 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 by any officer of the customs, or is directed to come to a
stop by signal made by any vessel employed in
the service of the customs and displaying proper
insignia, shall come to a stop, and upon failure
to comply a vessel or vehicle so directed to come
to a stop shall become subject to pursuit and the
master, owner, operator, or person in charge
thereof shall be liable to a penalty of not more
than $5,000 nor less than $1,000.
(e) Seizure of vessel or merchandise
If upon the examination of any vessel or vehicle it shall appear that a breach of the laws of
the United States is being or has been committed so as to render such vessel or vehicle, or the
merchandise, or any part thereof, on board of, or
brought into the United States by, such vessel
or vehicle, liable to forfeiture or to secure any
fine or penalty, the same shall be seized and any
person who has engaged in such breach shall be
arrested.