§150A-5.5 What constitutes importation. (a) The landing of any article for the purpose of inspection or quarantine shall not be construed to give the article any status or the owner any right incident to articles which have actually been passed and allowed into the State.
(b) In legal effect, articles landed for the purpose of inspection or quarantine shall be construed to be still outside the State seeking entry, and shall not, in whole or in part, be considered suitable for entry into the State unless a tag, label, or stamp has been affixed to the article, its container, or its delivery order by the inspector as provided in section 150A-5(9), except that articles quarantined in the biocontrol containment facilities of the department or of other government agencies engaged in joint projects with the department may be released upon issuance of a permit approved by the board.
(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), the import of articles in violation of this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter may subject the importer to penalty although the articles have not been passed for entry. [L 1985, c 133, §4; am L 1990, c 243, §3; am L 1996, c 153, §3]