18 U.S.C. § 2290
Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
- (a)There is jurisdiction, including extraterritorial jurisdiction, over an offense under this chapter if the prohibited activity takes place—
- (1)within the United States and within waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States; or
- (2)outside United States and—
- (A)an offender or a victim is a national of the United States (as that term is defined under section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)); 1 So in original. There probably should be an additional closing parenthesis.
- (B)the activity involves a vessel in which a national of the United States was on board; or
- (C)the activity involves a vessel of the United States (as that term is defined under section 2 2 See References in Text note below. of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (46 U.S.C. App. 1903).1
- (b)Nothing in this chapter shall apply to otherwise lawful activities carried out by or at the direction of the United States Government.