'Forgotten' US inmate who had to drink own urine files $20m compensation claim "By that time, I'd accepted that I would probably die there," the Times quoted him as saying. Yoo said her client was declining further media interviews. The DEA has acknowledged that Mr Chong was left in a holding cell by accident, and the head of the DEA office in San Diego issued a statement of apology, saying he was "deeply troubled" by the incident. He promised to investigate the matter. Mr Chong ended up in DEA custody when he was rounded up with eight other people in a drug raid on April 21 at someone else's home where he had spent the night after smoking marijuana with friends, Yoo said. The DEA said seven others arrested with Mr Chong were booked into jail and an eighth was released. The agency said it also seized large quantities of various drugs, three firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Yoo said her client was cleared of any wrongdoing and agents told him they were putting him in a holding cell for just a minute before driving him home. That was early on April 21, a Saturday. He remained locked up alone until Wednesday. Afterward, he ended up admitted to hospital for five days, the first three of which he spent in intensive care, suffering from severe dehydration, muscle deterioration, hallucinations, kidney failure and extremely high levels of sodium, his lawyer said. "He nearly died as a result," the complaint stated, adding, "The deprivation of food and water for four and one half days while the person is handcuffed the entire time constitutes torture under both international and domestic law."