The Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act of 2008, , was an
act of the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
outlawing operation of or travel in
unregistered submersible
A submersible is a small watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of ind ...
s and
semi-submersibles in
international waters with the
intent to
evade detection.
The act was enacted to combat the use of illicit self-propelled semi-submersible and submersible vessels in international
drug trafficking
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
(see
narco-submarine).
[Allyson Bennett]
That Sinking Feeling: Stateless Ships, Universal Jurisdiction, and the Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act
''Yale Journal of International Law'', Volume 37, Issue 2 (2012). Notably, the act provides for
extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.
Any authority can claim ETJ over any external territory they wish. However, for the claim to be effective in the externa ...
.
[ The law extended earlier legislation such as the Marijuana on the High Seas Act (MHSA) and Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA).][
]
Notes
References
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{{Authority control
Acts of the 110th United States Congress
United States federal admiralty and maritime legislation
United States federal criminal legislation
United States federal defense and national security legislation
United States federal controlled substances legislation