                        TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES
 
                      CHAPTER 4--TARIFF ACT OF 1930
 
                 SUBTITLE III--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
 
                     Part V--Enforcement Provisions
 
Sec. 1611. Seizure; sale unlawful

    If the sale of any vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or 
baggage forfeited under the customs laws in the district in which 
seizure thereof was made be prohibited by the laws of the State in which 
such district is located, or if a sale may be made more advantageously 
in any other district, the Secretary of the Treasury may order such 
vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage to be transferred for 
sale in any customs district in which the sale thereof may be permitted. 
Upon the request of the Secretary of the Treasury, any court may, in 
proceedings for the forfeiture of any vessel, vehicle, aircraft, 
merchandise, or baggage under the customs laws, provide in its decree of 
forfeiture that the vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage, 
so forfeited, shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Treasury for 
disposition in accordance with the provisions of this section. If the 
Secretary of the Treasury is satisfied that the proceeds of any sale 
will not be sufficient to pay the costs thereof, he may order a 
destruction by the customs officers: Provided, That any merchandise 
forfeited under the customs laws, the sale or use of which is prohibited 
under any law of the United States or of any State, may, in the 
discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, be destroyed, or 
remanufactured into an article that is not prohibited, the resulting 
article to be disposed of to the profit of the United States only.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, Sec. 611, 46 Stat. 755; Pub. L. 98-
473, title II, Sec. 321, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2056; Pub. L. 98-573, 
title II, Sec. 213(a)(8), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 2985.)

                       References in Text

    The customs laws, referred to in text, are classified generally to 
this title.


                            Prior Provisions

    Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act 
Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, Sec. 611, 42 Stat. 985. That section 
was superseded by section 611 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this 
section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.


                               Amendments

    1984--Pub. L. 98-573 and Pub. L. 98-473 inserted reference to 
aircraft in four places.


                    Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

    Amendment 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.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

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