R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-9-21: Forfeiture of unlawfully imported goods.

All goods imported in a vessel as described in this chapter that shall be clandestinely landed or brought into any house, shop, or warehouse without a certificate and allowance as provided in § 23-9-19, or that shall be imported by land as provided in § 23-9-20 and not cleansed or aired by order of the city or town council, shall be forfeited; one-third (⅓) of those goods to the use of the state and two-thirds (⅔) to the use of the person who shall sue for the goods.