Title 19, Customs DutiesRelease 119-102
§1602 Seizure; Report to Customs Officer
Title 19 › CHAPTER 4 — TARIFF ACT OF 1930 › SUBTITLE III — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part V — Enforcement Provisions › § 1602
Summary
Anyone legally allowed to seize goods must immediately tell the local customs officer and hand over any seized ship, vehicle, plane, merchandise, or baggage, and must report any customs-law violation right away.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §1602
Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
It shall be the duty of any officer, agent, or other person authorized by law to make seizures of merchandise or baggage subject to seizure for violation of the customs laws, to report every such seizure immediately to the appropriate customs officer for the district in which such violation occurred, and to turn over and deliver to such customs officer any vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage seized by him, and to report immediately to such customs officer every violation of the customs laws.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 602, 42 Stat. 984. That section was superseded by section 602 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.
Prior Provisions
requiring officers or persons employed in the customs revenue service, upon detection of any violation of the customs laws, to make complaint to the collector, were contained in act June 22, 1874, ch. 391, § 15, 18 Stat. 189, prior to repeal by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 643, 42 Stat. 989.
Amendments
1984—Pub. L. 98–573 and Pub. L. 98–473 inserted reference to aircraft. 1970—Pub. L. 91–271 substituted references to appropriate customs officer or such customs officer for references to collector wherever appearing.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–573 effective Oct. 15, 1984, see section 214(e) of Pub. L. 98–573, set out as a note under section 1304 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1970 AmendmentFor
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.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 1602
Title 19, Customs Duties
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102