United States v. Vasquez-Velasco
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
15 F.3d 833 (1994)
Javier Vasquez-Velasco (defendant) was a member of a Guadalajara drug cartel that retaliated against DEA enforcement efforts by murdering DEA agent Enrique Camarena and a DEA informant. Separately, Vasquez-Velasco and other cartel members mistook two American men for DEA agents at a Mexican restaurant, tortured them, and killed them. He was convicted under 18 U.S.C. Section 1959 for violent crimes in aid of racketeering and appealed, arguing the statute could not reach his conduct in Mexico and that the district court lacked jurisdiction.
Whether, under international law, a State may assert jurisdiction over foreigners for acts committed outside the State that are directed against the State's territorial integrity, security, or political independence.