| 25-6851 |
Jose David Payba Lacayo v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2026-02-18 |
Pending |
IFP |
exclusive-economic-zone extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-nationals high-seas international-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act |
Petitioner, a foreign national found on a boat within 200 miles of Colombia, was prosecuted for two marijuana offenses under the Maritime Drug Law Enf… |
| 23-6971 |
Steven Antonius, aka Sealed Defendant 1, Shervington Lovell, aka Sealed Defendant 1, and Argemiro Zapata-Castro, aka Sealed Defendant 1 v. United States |
Second Circuit |
2024-03-13 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
article-i-section-8-clause-10 criminal-prosecution due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction fifth-amendment-due-process maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act originalism protective-principle universal-jurisdiction |
1. Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. §§ 70503(a)(1) and 70506, expands federal criminal jurisdiction beyond what would have bee… |
| 23-6012 |
Rafael Espinal-Mieses v. United States |
First Circuit |
2023-11-15 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
18-usc-3553(f) 21-usc-960(b) criminal-sentencing federal-statute maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act retroactivity safety-valve sentencing-relief statutory-interpretation |
The First Circuit affirmed the denial of Mr. Espinal-Mieses's motion for safety-valve relief under the former version of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), which di… |
| 22-7442 |
Paulino Vasquez-Rijo v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2023-05-02 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
drug-enforcement exclusive-economic-zone felonies-clause high-seas international-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law stateless-vessels vessel-nationality |
1. Whether MDLEA §70502(d)(1)(C) is Unconstitutional Because Its Definition of "a Vessel Without Nationality," Provides for Foreign Vessels to Be Deem… |
| 20-7910 |
Johvanny Aybar-Ulloa v. United States |
First Circuit |
2021-05-03 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
article-i-section-8-clause-10 congress-authority congressional-authority constitutional-interpretation felony-jurisdiction high-seas international-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law statelessness universal-jurisdiction vessel-status |
I. Whether Congress's authority to define and punish felonies committed on the high seas is unconstrained by Article I, § 8, cl. 10 to the United Stat… |
| 20-5087 |
Italo Ebaristo Napa Moreira v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2020-07-16 |
Denied |
IFP |
constitutional-challenge due-process johnson jurisdiction maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act miranda prosecutorial-discretion stateless-vessel |
I. Whether the MDLEA is unconstitutional because the Government is not required to prove any "minimum contacts" or "nexus" between a defendant and the… |
| 19-8889 |
Hector Guagua-Alarcon v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2020-07-02 |
Denied |
IFP |
article-iii article-three due-process executive-branch executive-power federal-jurisdiction maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act sixth-amendment subject-matter-jurisdiction |
I. The parties to a case cannot manufacture federal subject-matter jurisdiction by stipulation. Nonetheless, the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46… |
| 19-7484 |
Jose Candelario Perez-Cruz v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2020-01-29 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
criminal-procedure jurisdiction jurisdictional-dispute jury-trial maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law mdlea pretrial-hearing stateless-vessel trial-procedure |
Whether the Court of Appeals clearly erred in upholding the District Court's conclusion that jurisdiction in a stateless vessel case under the MDLEA i… |
| 19-6938 |
Gabriel Garcia-Solar v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-12-13 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
congress-power congressional-power constitutional-interpretation extraterritorial-jurisdiction felonies-clause felony-definition foreign-nationals high-seas maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act nexus-requirement nexus-to-us sentencing-discretion |
1. Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70503 et. sec., which criminalizes foreign drug trafficking offenses committed aboard ve… |
| 19-6039 |
Camilo Andres Landazuri Vargas v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-09-24 |
Denied |
IFP |
congress-powers-limits congressional-power criminal-law due-process fifth-amendment foreign-national international-law international-waters jurisdiction jurisdictional-element maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation united-states-constitution |
WHETHER THE PROSECUTION OF MR. VARGAS - AN
ECUADORIAN NATIONAL WITH NO TIES TO THE UNITED
STATES — FOR TRAFFICKING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES IN
INTERNATIO… |
| 18-9328 |
Diego Portocarrero Valencia v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-05-17 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
confrontation-rights criminal-procedure drug-trafficking due-process high-seas-offense jurisdiction maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law safety-valve sentencing stateless-vessel |
1. Is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act ("MDLEA") unconstitutional because no minimum contacts between the accused and the United States are requi… |
| 18-7000 |
Luis Rolando Bueno Jimenez v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2018-12-12 |
Denied |
IFP |
18-usc-3553(f) circuit-split criminal-law drug-enforcement mandatory-minimum maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law safety-valve sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation |
Whether a defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law
Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70501 et seq., and subject to a mandatory minimum
senten… |
| 18-6482 |
Roger Alfred Anchundia-Espinoza v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2018-10-29 |
Denied |
IFP |
18-usc-3553(f) criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-enforcement mandatory-minimum maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law safety-valve sentencing statutory-interpretation statutory-safety-valve united-states-v-mosquera-murillo |
Whether a criminal defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70501 et seq., and subject to a mandatory minim… |
| 18-374 |
Wuilson Estuardo Lemus Castillo v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2018-09-21 |
Denied |
|
18-usc-3553(f) 21-usc-960 circuit-split criminal-law criminal-sentencing drug-enforcement mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentences maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act safety-valve sentencing statutory-interpretation |
Whether a criminal defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70501 et seq., and subject to a mandatory minim… |
| 18-5702 |
Miguel Angel Mejia v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2018-08-22 |
Denied |
IFP |
article-iii article-three drug-enforcement executive-power jury-trial maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law sixth-amendment subject-matter-jurisdiction |
The parties to a case cannot manufacture federal subject-matter jurisdiction by stipulation. Nonetheless, the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.… |
| 18-5534 |
Juan Carrasquilla-Lombada, et al. v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2018-08-09 |
Denied |
IFP |
confrontation-clause jurisdiction jury-trial maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act pre-trial-hearing sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation testimonial-evidence |
Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. 70501 et. seq., is unconstitutional on its face and in violation of the Sixth Amendment right… |
| 18-5221 |
Aquilino Guizamano-Cortes v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2018-07-12 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
criminal-law drug-offense due-process equal-protection maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act maritime-law rational-basis safety-valve sentencing sentencing-relief statutory-interpretation territorial-jurisdiction |
The exclusion of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcemen Act (46 U.S.C. § 70503) from eligibility for safety valve violates equal protection, because there i… |