Teen dies from meth-laced drink he brought to border

A 16-year-old boy died Monday night after drinking a liquid laced with methamphetamine while he was being detained at the San Ysidro border crossing, San Diego authorities said Tuesday.

The Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo of Tijuana.

“The whole thing is very, very odd,” said San Diego police homicide Lt. Mike Hastings. “It’s a sad case.”

Hastings said investigators are trying to determine whether the boy was knowingly smuggling the drug into the country.

The teen was alone when he walked into the pedestrian crossing area from Mexico about 6:40 p.m.

He was carrying a valid border-crossing card, a shoulder bag with personal items and two small containers of an amber-colored liquid, police and federal authorities said.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said the teen acted nervous.

He told officers that the containers held juice, but they became suspicious and asked him more about the liquid, Hastings said.

The officials took the teen to an inspection area, where he drank some of the liquid about 7:30 p.m., Hastings said. A customs narcotics dog reacted to the teen, and the boy was handcuffed and taken to a security office.

He started to feel ill and told the officers he had drunk a chemical. A medical examiner’s investigator said the boy became agitated and started screaming. Paramedics were called about 7:45 p.m. They sedated him and took him to Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, where he died at 9 p.m.

Hastings said customs officials tested the liquid and found it contained meth.

Martha Varela Barragan, spokeswoman at the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, said the consulate has asked U.S. authorities for a detailed report of the incident and is in touch with the boy’s family.