| 25-6691 |
Nedry McLean v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2026-02-02 |
Pending |
Response WaivedIFP |
article-i-powers due-process felonies-clause foreign-prosecution maritime-drug-law vessel-nationality |
1. Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) exceeds Congress's Article I powers, particularly where the MDLEA is extended to the prosecut… |
| 25A398 |
Osvaldo Gonzalez v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2025-10-07 |
Presumed Complete |
|
criminal-statute drug-possession eleventh-circuit-review federal-interdiction maritime-drug-law vessel-jurisdiction |
Question not identified. |
| 25-5584 |
Virgilio Valencia-Gamboa v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2025-09-09 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
congressional-power criminal-jurisdiction define-and-punish-clause extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law maritime-drug-law |
Article I, Section 8, Clause 10 of the United States Constitution empowers Congress "[t]o define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the hig… |
| 25-5506 |
Carlos Daniel Canario-Vilomar v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2025-08-28 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
congressional-power define-and-punish-clause extraterritorial-jurisdiction high-seas-enforcement international-law maritime-drug-law |
1. Are Congress's powers under the Define and Punish Clause inherently limited by international law?
2. Does 46 U.S.C. § 70502(d)(1)(C) of the Mariti… |
| 25A99 |
Carlos Daniel Canario-Vilomar v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2025-07-24 |
Presumed Complete |
|
criminal-prosecution drug-conspiracy eleventh-circuit maritime-drug-law plea-agreement vessel-jurisdiction |
Question not identified. |
| 24-7511 |
Mario Maximo Medina-Quijije v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2025-06-26 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
article-i-powers due-process felonies-clause foreign-prosecution maritime-drug-law vessel-nationality |
1. Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) exceeds Congress's Article I powers, particularly where the MDLEA is extended to the prosecut… |
| 23-7637 |
Andres Nixon Gonzales-Catagua, aka Nexon Gonzalez v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2024-06-05 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
criminal-procedure drug-enforcement drug-interdiction jurisdiction jurisdictional-limit law-enforcement maritime-drug-law maritime-law military-law-enforcement miranda-warnings sixth-amendment |
WHETHER the jurisdictional limit contained in the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act relates to the legislative reach of the statute or whether it rela… |
| 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… |
| 23A591 |
Jeffri Dávila-Reyes v. United States |
First Circuit |
2023-12-27 |
Presumed Complete |
|
article-ii circuit-split constitutional-error guilty-plea maritime-drug-law subject-matter-jurisdiction |
Question not identified. |
| 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… |
| 22-7893 |
Liver Gruezo v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2023-06-29 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
criminal-procedure due-process jurisdiction law-enforcement-procedures maritime-drug-law maritime-law minimum-contacts miranda-rights miranda-v-arizona stateless-vessel |
1. Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act ("MDLEA"), 46 U.S.C. § 70501, et. seq., violates Due Process because its enforcement procedures are v… |
| 21-728 |
Pedro Dino Cedado Nuñez, et al. v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2021-11-16 |
Denied |
|
circuit-split criminal-procedure customary-international-law drug-enforcement international-law jurisdiction jurisdictional-test maritime-drug-law maritime-law statutory-interpretation vessel-nationality |
The Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act authorizes the United States to prosecute certain drug crimes committed aboard a "covered vessel." 46 U.S.C. § 7… |
| 21-6166 |
Ángel De la Cruz v. United States |
First Circuit |
2021-11-03 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
circuit-split criminal-law drug-offense due-process first-step-act maritime-drug-law safety-valve sentencing statutory-interpretation terry-v-united-states |
The Pre-First Step Act Safety Valve was widely applied to the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA), a statute whose punishment criteria and eleme… |
| 21-6139 |
Yency Nuñez v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2021-11-01 |
Denied |
IFP |
appellate-procedure article-iii circuit-courts circuit-precedent criminal-procedure due-process jurisdictional-facts maritime-drug-law precedent statutory-interpretation |
Petitioner Yency Nuñez and the government agree that, although the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act makes proof of jurisdictional facts indispensable… |
| 20-8192 |
Jorge Ramon Newball-May v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2021-06-02 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
confrontation-clause criminal-procedure jurisdiction jury-trial maritime-drug-law maritime-law pre-trial-hearing sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation |
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… |
| 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… |
| 19-8513 |
Edward Javier Catano Lopez v. United States |
Fifth Circuit |
2020-05-21 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
drug-trafficking due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law maritime-drug-law maritime-law pinkerton-doctrine subject-matter-jurisdiction |
1. For purposes of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act ("MDLEA"),
does due process require a nexus between the defendant and the United
States where… |
| 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 |
Is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) unconstitutional because no minimum contacts between the accused and the United States are required t… |
| 18-9263 |
Luis Felipe Valencia v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-05-14 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
confrontation-clause constitutional-challenge criminal-law due-process international-law jurisdiction maritime-drug-law maritime-law minimum-contacts stateless-vessel vagueness void-for-vagueness |
Whether the MDLEA is unconstitutional due to lack of minimum-contacts requirement |
| 18-8051 |
Yeison Valencia Torres v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2019-02-21 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
circuit-split conflict-of-laws criminal-procedure drug-enforcement drug-offense due-process equal-protection maritime-drug-law maritime-law safety-valve sentencing sentencing-relief statutory-interpretation |
Whether the exclusion of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (46 U.S.C. § 70503) from eligibility for safety valve violates equal protection |
| 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 is eligible for relief from a mandatory minimum sentence under the 's… |
| 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 is eligible for relief from a mandatory minimum sentence und… |
| 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 violates the Sixth Amendment by precluding the jury from determining jurisdiction and allowing the gover… |
| 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 |
Whether the exclusion of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (46 U.S.C. § 70503) from eligibility for safety valve relief violates equal protection,… |