A Mexican family have been paid out US$1.1 million (NZ$1.46 million) after CCTV footage appeared to prove their deceased son was forced to take four sips of toxic liquid methamphetamine.
In the video obtained by ABC News, 16-year-old Cruz Velazquez is seen handing over two bottles of yellow liquid, which he was attempting to take into the US in 2013, to border protection officers.
The bottles were filled with the Class A drug methamphetamine, which had been liquefied - but Mr Velazquez lied and said they contained orange juice.
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The pair of officers were seen smirking to one another as they made the teen take four swigs from the bottle to prove it was what he said it was. However, he died a painful death less than two hours after drinking the noxious substance.
Mr Velazquez was detained after a trained dog had detected the drugs on him - just 30 minutes later he told officers he was sick and admitted the bottles contained meth.
Footage shows him writhing in his chair, sweating profusely and struggling to breathe, before being taken to hospital, where he died soon after.
Former US Customs and Border Protection chief James Tomschek said the officers' actions clearly violated normal protocol.
"If they truly suspected there was a controlled substance in the bottle they should've conducted a field test," he said.
The Velazquez family have now filed a lawsuit against the two officers, claiming their actions led to his death and that they took joy from making him drink from the bottles.
Newshub.
