Each and every one of us has done a thing or two in earlier years that we're probably never going to speak of again. Yet all of us right now are still alive and could talk about it if we ever wanted to.
Sixteen-year-old Cruz Marcelino Velazquez Acevedo can't. He's dead. And officials are saying it's all airport security's fault.
While attempting to enter the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, Velazquez Acevedo was caught sneaking in liquefied meth across the border. When stopped, he tried to convince the agents that it was apple juice, to no avail.
In the recently released footage (below), officials say you can see the two agents egging him on to drink the dope (even though they had no idea what it actually was at the time). He died two hours later after screaming that his heart hurt.
"Drug smuggling is wrong and is a crime," says Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a ranking member on the House Subcommitte on Immigration and Border Security. "But this teenage boy did not deserve a death sentence. For CBP officers to inflict a summary death sentence is not only immoral but also illegal."
A settlement was reached some time ago between the family and Customs and Border Protection for $1 million. The incident itself took place in 2013, though the actual footage of it was withheld until just recently — causing many to speculate about airports and their personnel's pre-check habits (again).
But also, don't drink meth.
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