                        TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES
 
                      CHAPTER 4--TARIFF ACT OF 1930
 
                 SUBTITLE III--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
 
                     Part V--Enforcement Provisions
 
Sec. 1603. Seizure; warrants and reports

    (a) Any property which is subject to forfeiture to the United States 
for violation of the customs laws and which is not subject to search and 
seizure in accordance with the provisions of section 1595 of this title, 
may be seized by the appropriate officer or person upon process issued 
in the same manner as provided for a search warrant under the Federal 
Rules of Criminal Procedure. This authority is in addition to any 
seizure authority otherwise provided by law.
    (b) Whenever a seizure of merchandise for violation of the customs 
laws is made, or a violation of the customs laws is discovered, and 
legal proceedings by the United States attorney in connection with such 
seizure or discovery are required, it shall be the duty of the 
appropriate customs officer to report promptly such seizure or violation 
to the United States attorney for the district in which such violation 
has occurred, or in which such seizure was made, and to include in such 
report a statement of all the facts and circumstances of the case within 
his knowledge, with the names of the witnesses and a citation to the 
statute or statutes believed to have been violated, and on which 
reliance may be had for forfeiture or conviction.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, Sec. 603, 46 Stat. 754; June 25, 
1938, ch. 679, Sec. 27, 52 Stat. 1089; Pub. L. 91-271, title III, 
Sec. 301(aa), June 2, 1970, 84 Stat. 291; Pub. L. 95-410, title I, 
Sec. 110(b), Oct. 3, 1978, 92 Stat. 896; Pub. L. 100-690, title VII, 
Sec. 7365, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4478.)

                       References in Text

    The customs laws, referred to in text, are classified generally to 
this title.
    The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, referred to in subsec. (a), 
are set out in the Appendix to Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.


                            Prior Provisions

    Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act 
Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, Sec. 603, 42 Stat. 984. That section 
was superseded by section 603 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this 
section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.
    A prior provision requiring the collector or other person causing a 
seizure to be made to give information thereof to the Solicitor of the 
Treasury, was contained in R.S. Sec. 3083, as amended by act Feb. 27, 
1877, ch. 69, Sec. 1, 19 Stat. 247. R.S. Sec. 3084 required collectors 
to report to the district attorney of the district in which any fine, 
penalty, or forfeiture might be incurred, a statement of all the facts 
and circumstances. Officers of customs detecting violations of the 
customs laws were required to report to the collectors, and the latter 
were required to report to the district attorneys, by act June 22, 1874, 
ch. 391, Sec. 15, 18 Stat. 189. All of these sections were repealed by 
act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, Secs. 642, 643, 42 Stat. 989.


                               Amendments

    1988--Pub. L. 100-690, Sec. 7365, substituted ``Seizure; warrants 
and reports'' for ``Seizure; customs officer's reports'' in section 
catchline, added subsec. (a), and designated existing provisions as 
subsec. (b).
    1978--Pub. L. 95-410 inserted ``promptly'' after ``to report''.
    1970--Pub. L. 91-271 substituted reference to appropriate customs 
officer for reference to collector or principal local officer of Customs 
Agency Service.
    1938--Act June 25, 1938, amended section generally.


                    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.


                    Effective Date of 1938 Amendment

    Amendment by act June 25, 1938, effective on thirtieth day following 
June 25, 1938, except as otherwise specifically provided, see section 37 
of act June 25, 1938, set out as a note under section 1401 of this 
title.

                          Transfer of Functions

    Functions of all other officers of Department of the Treasury and 
functions of all agencies and employees of such Department transferred, 
with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Treasury, with power vested 
in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his 
functions, by any of such officers, agencies, and employees, by Reorg. 
Plan No. 26 of 1950, Secs. 1, 2, eff. July 31, 1950, 15 F.R. 4935, 64 
Stat. 1280, 1281, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government 
Organization and Employees. Customs Service is under Department of the 
Treasury.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1600 of this title.
