Two former science teachers have been charged in St. Petersburg with preparing and dealing large doses of amphetamine in a lab reminiscent to the operation in the “Breaking Bad” hit cable television series.
According to prosecutors, the two ex-chemistry and physics teachers used their “specialized knowledge” to run a drug lab near the city of St. Petersburg. The male suspect was reportedly responsible for preparing the amphetamine drug, while his female colleague distributed the illegal substance.
It is unclear whether the suspects were inspired by the “Breaking Bad” series, which features a high school chemistry teacher who cooks and sells high quality crystalized methamphetamines.
The American television show has gained a cult following in Russia, with one 20-year-old fan from the Moscow region having changed his name to Jesse Geizenbergovich Pinkman in 2013, in an apparent homage to one of the lead characters in the show.
In total, the two former teachers are suspected of selling around 1.3 kilograms of amphetamines between May 2017 and February 2018, according to a statement on the website of St. Petersburg’s Prosecutors Office.
The suspects have since been taken into custody and a criminal case has been opened against the pair.
