In April, we discussed the importance of checking case packages for accuracy to ensure they reflect what occurred during the boarding. Earlier this week, on 12 August 2024, District Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán in the District of Puerto Rico addressed a similar issue in U.S. v. Thomas Chalwell, et al., No. CR 24-CR-00072, 2024 WL 3755034…
Category: § 70504
Section 70504(b) permits prosecution for violations of the MDLEA “in any district” for vessels interdicted on the high seas
At times it is hard to understand why a defendant who is caught violating the MDLEA in the Pacific Ocean (i.e. near Columbia) is brought over 2000 miles to the east coast of the United States (i.e. Florida or Puerto Rico) for prosecution. The justification? As explained in a recent decision by a District Court…