Walter White, the character from the hit TV show Breaking Bad, may have escaped from justice on the screen, but in reality, violations of the law will always be punished. Such is the case of a Chinese man surnamed Lei, whose meth cooking skills landed him in hot water for drug offences.

Lei, a 48-year-old divorced man with a junior high education, used to work at a leather factory in Luzhou, southwest China’s Sichuan province. He became idle after getting sacked from his job, during which time he learned that meth cooking can be a lucrative business. He then started studying and experimenting in his apartment.

For years, Lei worked in his small, isolated workshop, which was well-equipped by Lei with various test tubes and containers. Late into the night, he would quietly test out his knowledge without alarming his neighbors. Sometimes, he would even try his own homemade drug on himself to test it.

Photo via Red Star News

Until Lei was busted in a drug crackdown operation in December last year, he produced 182.76 grams of crystal methamphetamine and 5.35 liters of liquid containing methamphetamine. Police also found 20 handwritten notebooks that recorded his trials and results.

Lei is now under criminal detention by local police of Jiangyang District, Luzhou.

Local police said it was the first time they found a single individual producing drugs in the region, as other drug offenders tend to work in groups.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the nation has always been tough on drug-related crime. In 1990, the Chinese government set up the National Narcotics Control Commission as the nation’s top anti-drug institution.

Between 2012 and 2018, China handled 860,000 drug-related crimes across the nation, arrested 1 million criminal suspects, and cracked down on more than 2,700 drug-making places, seizing some 459 tons of drugs.