Title 21 — Food and DrugsRelease 119-73not60
§961 Prohibited Acts B
Title 21 › Chapter 13— DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION AND CONTROL › Subchapter II— IMPORT AND EXPORT › § 961
Summary
People who break the related import/export rules or who fail to tell the Attorney General about an import or export can be punished. Mostly they can be fined up to $25,000. But if they are charged with and a judge or jury finds they acted knowingly or intentionally, they can be jailed for up to one year, fined up to $25,000, or both. Other parts of the law set the rules for how civil fines are handled.
Full Legal Text
Title 21, §961
Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Any person who violates section 954 of this title or fails to notify the Attorney General of an importation or exportation under section 971 of this title shall be subject to the following penalties:
(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), any such person shall, with respect to any such violation, be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25,000. section 842(c)(1) and (c)(3) of this title shall apply to any civil penalty assessed under this paragraph.
(2)If such a violation is prosecuted by an information or indictment which alleges that the violation was committed knowingly or intentionally and the trier of fact specifically finds that the violation was so committed, such person shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or a fine of not more than $25,000 or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1988—Pub. L. 100–690 inserted “or fails to notify the Attorney General of an importation or exportation under section 971 of this title”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–690 effective 120 days after Nov. 18, 1988, see section 6061 of Pub. L. 100–690, set out as a note under section 802 of this title.
Effective Date
Section effective on first day of seventh calendar month that begins after Oct. 26, 1970, see 1105(a) of Pub. L. 91–513, set out as a under section 951 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
21 U.S.C. § 961
Title 21 — Food and Drugs
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60