The Kiki Camarena case is the 1985 abduction and murder in Mexico of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Per John Kiriakou, the case is the origin of the 1985 U.S. statute under which the United States claims the authority to seize foreign nationals on foreign soil for prosecution at home.[1][2]
Application to the 2026 Maduro operation
Kiriakou invokes the Camarena precedent in discussing the U.S. operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: “It’s very bad form to just invade a country and snatch its leader and then kill 80 people and leave. It’s very bad form. It’s a violation of international law. It is not a violation of U.S. law. We’ve had a law in the United States since 1985 allowing us to do exactly that, thanks to the Kiki Camarena case. I wouldn’t have done it. Maduro’s not a nice guy, but this whole drug thing is grossly overstated. You want to invade a country, invade Mexico — that’s where the problem is.”[1][2]