Find Legal Information

Any duly authorized enforcement officer or employee of the Department of Commerce; any Coast Guard officer; any United States marshal or deputy United States marshal; any customs officer; and any other person authorized to enforce the provisions of the convention, the regulations of the Commission, this subchapter, and the regulations of the Secretary of Commerce, shall have power, without warrant or other process but subject to the provisions of the convention, to arrest any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States committing in his presence or view a violation of the convention or of this subchapter, or of the regulations of the Commission, or of the regulations of the Secretary of Commerce and to take such person immediately for examination before a justice or judge or any other official designated in section 3041 of title 18; and shall have power, without warrant or other process, to search any vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States or land station when he has reasonable cause to believe that such vessel or land station is engaged in whaling in violation of the provisions of the convention or this subchapter or the regulations of the Commission, or the regulations of the Secretary of Commerce. Any person authorized to enforce the provisions of the convention, this subchapter, the regulations of the Commission, or the regulations of the Secretary of Commerce shall have power to execute any warrant or process issued by an officer or court of competent jurisdiction for the enforcement of this subchapter, and shall have power with a search warrant to search any vessel, person, or place at any time. The judges of the United States district courts and the United States magistrate judges may, within their respective jurisdictions, upon proper oath or affirmation showing probable cause, issue warrants in all such cases. Subject to the provisions of the convention, any person authorized to enforce the convention, this subchapter, the regulations of the Commission, and the regulations of the Secretary of Commerce may seize, whenever and wherever lawfully found, all whales or whale products taken, processed, or possessed contrary to the provisions of the convention, of this subchapter of the regulations of the Commission, or of the regulations of the Secretary of Commerce.

Any property so seized shall not be disposed of except pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction or the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, or, if perishable, in the manner prescribed by regulations of the Secretary of Commerce.

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2464 of title 28, when a warrant of arrest or other process in rem is issued in any cause under this section, the marshal or other officer shall stay the execution of such process, or discharge any property seized if the process has been levied, on receiving from the claimant of the property a bond or stipulation for double the value of the property with sufficient surety to be approved by a judge of the district court having jurisdiction, conditioned to deliver the property seized, if condemned, without impairment in value or, in the discretion of the court, to pay its equivalent value in money or otherwise to answer the decree of the court in such cause. Such bond or stipulation shall be returned to the court and judgment thereon against both the principal and sureties may be recovered in event of any breach of the conditions thereof as determined by the court.