Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
A New Mexico science teacher decides to take his training in the chemical arts and use it for full-fledged production of illegal methamphetamine.
Sometimes life imitates art in just that tragic of a fashion.
Seemingly a direct take from the hugely popular TV series Breaking Bad, 56-year-old Las Cruces science teacher John Gose recently pled guilty to four counts of trafficking by manufacturing, and one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Gose taught science on and off at area schools for nearly 20 years.
He was busted during a traffic stop last October when officers reported finding an ice chest in Gose's car that contained glassware, rubber tubing, and chemicals that a lab later confirmed had been used in the manufacture of methamphetamines.
Investigators then searched Gose’s property and found additional chemicals and supplies capable of making at least one pound of meth, which carries an estimated street value of nearly $45,000.
He faces up to 20-and-a-half years in prison.
Interestingly enough, there is one methamphetamine that is legally distributed in the U.S. Desoxyn, which carries the same chemical composition of crystal meth, but is only available via a non-refillable prescription, is used for treating obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is produced by the Danish company Lundbeck.
The dosage levels of these legal pills are roughly 1/10th the strength of an illegally obtained “hit” of meth.