Teen Dies After Drinking Liquid Meth

He had just crossed into US from Mexico
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2013 1:21 PM CST
Teen Dies After Drinking Liquid Meth
A US Customs and Border Protection officer is seen from Mexico's side of the San Ysidro port of entry.   (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

A Tijuana teen died near the US-Mexico border Monday night in circumstances a San Diego police officer calls "very, very odd." Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo, 16, walked into the pedestrian crossing area at the San Ysidro port of entry when he was detained because of a problem with his visa, NBC San Diego reports. He had a border-crossing card, but also two containers of liquid; he was acting nervous, and authorities were suspicious when he said the liquid was juice. The teen ended up drinking some of it voluntarily, and shortly after told officers he felt sick and said the liquid was actually a chemical.

He got agitated, began screaming, and was taken to a nearby California medical center, where he died about an hour and a half after taking the drink, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Customs officials determined the liquid was laced with methamphetamine, and authorities are investigating whether he was knowingly smuggling drugs. Liquid meth can be easier to smuggle, one expert says, because of its resemblance to juice; unfortunately, it can also result in life-threatening side effects more quickly, because of how quickly it hits the stomach. (More methamphetamine stories.)

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