§2237. Criminal sanctions for failure to heave to, obstruction of boarding, or providing false information

(a)(1) It shall be unlawful for the master, operator, or person in charge of a vessel of the United States, or a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to knowingly fail to obey an order by an authorized Federal law enforcement officer to heave to that vessel.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person on board a vessel of the United States, or a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to-

(A) forcibly resist, oppose, prevent, impede, intimidate, or interfere with a boarding or other law enforcement action authorized by any Federal law or to resist a lawful arrest; or

(B) provide materially false information to a Federal law enforcement officer during a boarding of a vessel regarding the vessel's destination, origin, ownership, registration, nationality, cargo, or crew.

(b) Any person who intentionally violates this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.

(c) This section does not limit the authority of a customs officer under section 581 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1581), or any other provision of law enforced or administered by the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the authority of any Federal law enforcement officer under any law of the United States, to order a vessel to stop or heave to.

(d) A foreign nation may consent or waive objection to the enforcement of United States law by the United States under this section by radio, telephone, or similar oral or electronic means. Consent or waiver may be proven by certification of the Secretary of State or the designee of the Secretary of State.

(e) In this section-

(1) the term "Federal law enforcement officer" has the meaning given the term in section 115(c);

(2) the term "heave to" means to cause a vessel to slow, come to a stop, or adjust its course or speed to account for the weather conditions and sea state to facilitate a law enforcement boarding;

(3) the term "vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" has the meaning given the term in section 2 ¹ of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (46 U.S.C. App. 1903); and

(4) the term "vessel of the United States" has the meaning given the term in section 2 ¹ of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (46 U.S.C. App. 1903).

(Added Pub. L. 109–177, title III, §303(a), Mar. 9, 2006, 120 Stat. 233 .)

References in Text

Section 2 of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, referred to in subsec. (e)(3), (4), probably means section 3 of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, Pub. L. 96–350, which was classified to section 1903 of former Title 46, Appendix, Shipping, and was repealed and restated in sections 70502 to 70506 of Title 46, Shipping, by Pub. L. 109–304, §§10(2), 19, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1683 , 1710. The terms "vessel of the United States" and "vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" are defined in subsecs. (b) and (c), respectively, of section 70502 of Title 46.

¹ See References in Text note below.