Case library · Square Grouper
A Boat From Nowhere
United States v. Marino-Garcia (1982)
Charge: Possession of marijuana with intent to distributeCourt: U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th CircuitState: FloridaDocket: Square Grouper
May a country prosecute the crew of a stateless ship on the high seas with no link to that country?
The facts
A seventy-foot boat was stopped on the high seas about sixty-five miles off a foreign coast, three hundred miles from the nearest American shore. She flew no flag. Her crew, all foreigners, told officers the boat's nationality was a city in Florida. She had costly radios but no shrimping gear. Over a thousand bales, about 57,000 pounds of marijuana, filled her passageways, galley, bunks and pilothouse.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: United States v. Marino-Garcia, 679 F.2d 1373 (11th Cir. 1982)
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