Case library · Square Grouper
Seeds on the Deck
United States v. Mazyak (1981)
Charge: Conspiracy to import marijuanaCourt: U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th CircuitState: FloridaDocket: Square Grouper
May officers board a boat of their own flag far out at sea with no suspicion, and use whatever they find?
The facts
A forty-two-foot trawler left Miami and spent nineteen days working south: through the Bahamas, past Puerto Rico, down to Colombia, then to a Cayman island. About seventy miles south of Cuba a cutter stopped her for a routine papers and safety check. An officer saw marijuana seeds and stems on deck and smelled the cargo. The captain gave a false name and said he was bound for Miami. Some 14,611 pounds were aboard.
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. Mazyak, 650 F.2d 788 (5th Cir. 1981)
Read more at openjurist.org. The source reveals the outcome.