---
type: "LegalText"
title: "21 U.S.C. § 955"
description: "Possession on board vessels, etc., arriving in or departing from United States"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 21
title_name: "FOOD AND DRUGS"
chapter_number: "13"
chapter_name: "DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION AND CONTROL"
section: "955"
citation: "21 U.S.C. § 955"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc21@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t21/s955"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-21/usc21.xml"
source_hash: "a45ef7c135235be4531a6cb238beaf3aefbae2f6cab16d29d1eef8f8350556e2"
raw_snapshot_hash: "3dbd7a61c8616baefb8459bd8dac3b93242106deb416308c8d4dd5a9143176d1"
text_hash: "bbc1510e70b6b282e63d3d2d4e6ba8b4efa93f705c73776b756870e7fa14a987"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 21 U.S.C. § 955 - Possession on board vessels, etc., arriving in or departing from United States

## Text

It shall be unlawful for any person to bring or possess on board any vessel or aircraft, or on board any vehicle of a carrier, arriving in or departing from the United States or the customs territory of the United States, a controlled substance in schedule I or II or a narcotic drug in schedule III or IV, unless such substance or drug is a part of the cargo entered in the manifest or part of the official supplies of the vessel, aircraft, or vehicle.

(Pub. L. 91–513, title III, § 1005, Oct. 27, 1970, 84 Stat. 1287.)

## Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextSchedules I, II, III, and IV, referred to in text, are set out in section 812(c) of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DateSection effective on first day of seventh calendar month that begins after Oct. 26, 1970, see 1105(a) of Pub. L. 91–513, set out as a under section 951 of this title.