Officials have released new details in the death of a teenager who was hospitalized after drinking an amber-colored liquid in front of federal agents at the U.S.-Mexico Border.
San Diego County’s Medical Examiner’s Office released a cause of death for 16-year-old Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo of Tijuana.
Acevedo was hospitalized after he ingested liquid methamphetamine on Nov. 18, officials said.
On Monday, the medical examiner ruled his death accidental and said the teenager died of acute methamphetamine intoxication.
Acevedo was stopped by agents after he entered the U.S. from Mexico on foot at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
He was initially stopped because of a discrepancy on his Visa according to the medical examiner.
At a secondary inspection point, officers asked Acevedo about two containers he was carrying. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Acevedo called the liquid juice and voluntarily took a sip.
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According to the ME's report, Acevdeo then became agitated and started screaming. San Diego police investigators said he admitted to agents that the liquid was a "chemical."
Agents called paramedics, who had to sedate the teen before transporting him to the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the ME.
Agents said they ran tests on the liquid that tested positive for liquid methamphetamine.
When asked about the potency of methamphetamine in a liquid form, a member of the UCSD Poison Control center said the substance can show life-threatening side effects within minutes because it hits the stomach quickly.
