Any person who manufactures or distributes any commercial fertilizer, raw material for fertilizer or soil additive in Puerto Rico without first having complied with the provisions of §§ 521 and 522 of this title or with the regulations which by virtue of the latter have been established, or who alters or adulterates the contents of a commercial fertilizer or soil additive to distribute it, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), and in default of payment thereof, by imprisonment that shall not exceed three (3) months, or both penalties at the discretion of the court.
Likewise, every violation of any other provision of §§ 519—535 of this title or of the regulations established thereunder shall be deemed as a misdemeanor and be punished by a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500), and in default of payment thereof, by imprisonment that shall not exceed one month. When the fines prescribed by this section are imposed on juridical entities, collection may be made through the attachment of any real or personal property of the violator, as in the case of property taxes, through due process of law in court. Original jurisdiction to take cognizance of the offenses determined in this chapter shall be vested, in the first instance, in the part of the Court of First Instance where the facts charged as such offenses occurred.
History —May 8, 1973, No. 19, p. 57, § 17; Aug. 24, 1997, No. 103, § 11, eff. 30 days after Aug. 24, 1997.