Latest news with #BreakingBad-style
ITV News
02-08-2025
- ITV News
Three men sentenced for producing 'Breaking Bad-style' meth labs across the West Midlands
Three men have been sentenced for their involvement in the production of Breaking Bad-style crystal meth in labs across the West Midlands. Between 2020 and 2024, Jan Lacko, 49, David Sivak, 44, and Mohammed Akhtar, 45, ran multiple makeshift 'kitchen laboratories' in residential properties. West Midlands Police said they would use chemistry instruments as well as dangerous chemicals to "cook" the meth. The gang would refer to the drug as 'pervitin' or 'piko' – which are known to be slang terms for the highly-addictive drug. After initially giving not-guilty pleas, the trio admitted to running the production of methylamphetamine a Class A controlled drug, in May this year. Each man has now been sentenced for their part in the illegal operation. 'Highly addictive' Sgt Antony Draper, from Birmingham's serious organised crime and exploitation team, said: 'Crystal meth has grown large exposure in the public through entertainment, and more specifically US television drama, Breaking Bad. 'However, the reality of this highly addictive and dangerous drug, is far from glamorous. It is much dirtier, and comes with serious health implications for users. "It is highly addictive and takes a huge toll on the human body. 'The production of the drug is also highly dangerous, creating a substantial risk to all those around. "With highly dangerous chemicals involved, the risks of serious injury are incredibly high, due to the large amount of toxic waste produced, as well as toxic fumes – all which create a dangerous risk of fires and explosions.' 'This was a complex investigation that required specialist support from CBRN trained officers to assist with the execution of warrants, scientific and forensic support, translation services, shipping data and mobile phone analysis.' The investigation Officers from the Birmingham Serious Organised Crime and Exploitation Team (Socex), began investigating. Evidence was collated following multiple warrants, and vehicle stops. Akhtar was found to act as the procurer of the required chemicals and the bulk delivery of required pseudoephedrine containing medication, from various overseas pharmaceutical companies, to Sivak and Lacko. Lacko and Akhtar were both arrested and charged in November 2024, while Sivak was arrested and charged in January earlier this year. What happened to the trio? The trio all pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of methylamphetamine a Class A controlled drug, at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday (13 May). Lacko also pleaded guilty to supplying a controlled drug of Class A – methylamphetamine. Lacko, of Grove Lane, Birmingham, was jailed for three years and seven months. Sivak, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and four months. Akhtar, of Rotton Park Road, Birmingham, was handed a 20-month suspended sentence.
The Irish Sun
01-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Veronica Guerin's killer ‘hard to recognise' back on streets as gangster wearing ‘disguise' on prison day release trips
KILLER Brian 'The Tosser' Meehan is trying his best to go unnoticed while out on temporary release from prison by going in disguise. Meehan, the only person convicted of Advertisement 4 Brian Meehan has been using a disguise while on temporary release from prison Credit: 4 Meehan is the only person convicted of murdering journalist Veronica Guerin Credit: Photocall Ireland 4 Veronica Guerin was shot and killed in her car on the Naas Road Credit: Photocall Ireland And the gangster has grown a beard in a bid to hide his features while on day release from Shelton Abbey Prison in Co A source said the The source said: 'Meehan is getting out more frequently now and he loves to go and have a ramble around the local shops. The last thing he wants is people spotting him. 'He wears a hat and glasses to reduce his chances of getting noticed. He is also now sporting a white beard. It's all part of his disguise. Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS 'It would be hard to recognise him in fairness as he looks completely different with the beard. He just looks like your average middle aged man. He goes to great lengths to keep out of the limelight.' Meehan, 57, is serving life for the murder of journalist Veronica in 1996. He has been allowed out of the open Meehan was part of the Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun Breaking She was shot dead in her car on the Naas dual carriageway in Dublin on June 26, 1996, when a hit team pulled up beside her on a motorbike. Meehan was driving and the late Patrick 'Dutchy' Holland was the gunman who fired six shots at the journalist. Moment heavily armed officers smash into Breaking Bad-style drug lab allegedly being run by John Gilligan 'The Tosser' is currently living in one of ten single occupancy independent living units (ILU) on the The units are estimated to have cost between €530,000 and €600,000 each. Advertisement Our source said: 'The ILU Meehan is in is basically like any state-of-the-art apartment. It has all the modern amenities including a flat screen TV that he can watch movies on. 'As an avid 4 Meehan was part of the John Gilligan-led mob that killed the journalist Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Scotsman
Dealer's film inside Breaking Bad-style drugs lab lands him in jail
This video More videos A drug dealer has been jailed for 15 years after police found footage of his Breaking Bad-style manufacturing lab on his phone. Keep up with the latest new videos with the Shots! Newsletter. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This was the incriminating phone footage (click to play above) that landed an 'industrial scale' drug dealer in jail. The shocking video above shows off the sophisticated machines used to grind crystallised MDMA into powder and count out tens of thousands of ecstasy pills. Breaking Bad-style drug lab The 35-year-old had filmed his 'Breaking Bad-style' drug manufacturing lab on his mobile phone, while further videos and voice recordings, taken from Jamie Stacey-Evans' device, also connected him with the wholesale supply of cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jamie Stacey-Evans. A drug dealer working on a "commercial scale" has been jailed for 15 years after police found footage of his Breaking Bad-style manufacturing lab on his phone. | Kent Police / SWNS The clips, showing a sophisticated operation akin to that seen on hit TV show Breaking Bad, evidenced machinery to grind crystalised MDMA into powder, as well as a device set up to count the finished product in tablet form. Orders to produce illegal drugs He could be heard in some voice notes discussing orders to produce as many as 100,000 ecstasy pills. In another audio clip, Stacey-Evans indicated his involvement in the supply of 20 kilograms of cocaine - which can have an estimated street value of over £1.2m. Stacey-Evans, from Kent, admitted to three charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and two of class B drugs. He has now been jailed for 15 years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Videos taken from Jamie Stacey-Evans' device show sophisticated machines used to grind crystallised MDMA into powder and count out tens of thousands of ecstasy pills. | Kent Police / SWNS Canterbury Crown Court heard how police executed a search warrant at Stacey-Evans' home in Coxheath, near Maidstone, as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs across Kent. Investigations found the 'Jay line' network had been operating since May 2024, and several phones used by Stacey-Evans were seized from the property. Phone footage puts dealer in jail Although an investigation didn't lead officers to where his lab and machinery were located, Stacey-Evans was charged with three counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs and with being concerned in the production of drugs. He was further charged with possessing criminal property in relation to more than £3,000 in cash seized from his home. Stacey-Evans later pleaded guilty to three charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and two of being concerned in the supply of class B drugs. Two other charges, one relating to £3,000 in cash found at his property, were left to lie on file. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Equipment manufacturing MDMA. | Kent Police / SWNS PC James O'Gorman, who led the investigation for Kent Police, said the dealer had "a network of runners" operating out of "fake business vans". "The vast amount of evidence recovered from his phone clearly illustrated that Stacey-Evans was producing and supplying drugs on a commercial scale," PC O'Gorman said.
Scotsman
24-05-2025
- Scotsman
Dealer's film inside Breaking Bad-style drugs lab lands him in jail
This video More videos A drug dealer has been jailed for 15 years after police found footage of his Breaking Bad-style manufacturing lab on his phone. Keep up with the latest new videos with the Shots! Newsletter. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This was the incriminating phone footage (click to play above) that landed an 'industrial scale' drug dealer in jail. The shocking video above shows off the sophisticated machines used to grind crystallised MDMA into powder and count out tens of thousands of ecstasy pills. Breaking Bad-style drug lab The 35-year-old had filmed his 'Breaking Bad-style' drug manufacturing lab on his mobile phone, while further videos and voice recordings, taken from Jamie Stacey-Evans' device, also connected him with the wholesale supply of cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jamie Stacey-Evans. A drug dealer working on a "commercial scale" has been jailed for 15 years after police found footage of his Breaking Bad-style manufacturing lab on his phone. | Kent Police / SWNS The clips, showing a sophisticated operation akin to that seen on hit TV show Breaking Bad, evidenced machinery to grind crystalised MDMA into powder, as well as a device set up to count the finished product in tablet form. Orders to produce illegal drugs He could be heard in some voice notes discussing orders to produce as many as 100,000 ecstasy pills. In another audio clip, Stacey-Evans indicated his involvement in the supply of 20 kilograms of cocaine - which can have an estimated street value of over £1.2m. Stacey-Evans, from Kent, admitted to three charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and two of class B drugs. He has now been jailed for 15 years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Videos taken from Jamie Stacey-Evans' device show sophisticated machines used to grind crystallised MDMA into powder and count out tens of thousands of ecstasy pills. | Kent Police / SWNS Canterbury Crown Court heard how police executed a search warrant at Stacey-Evans' home in Coxheath, near Maidstone, as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs across Kent. Investigations found the 'Jay line' network had been operating since May 2024, and several phones used by Stacey-Evans were seized from the property. Phone footage puts dealer in jail Although an investigation didn't lead officers to where his lab and machinery were located, Stacey-Evans was charged with three counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs and with being concerned in the production of drugs. He was further charged with possessing criminal property in relation to more than £3,000 in cash seized from his home. Stacey-Evans later pleaded guilty to three charges of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and two of being concerned in the supply of class B drugs. Two other charges, one relating to £3,000 in cash found at his property, were left to lie on file. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Equipment manufacturing MDMA. | Kent Police / SWNS PC James O'Gorman, who led the investigation for Kent Police, said the dealer had "a network of runners" operating out of "fake business vans". "The vast amount of evidence recovered from his phone clearly illustrated that Stacey-Evans was producing and supplying drugs on a commercial scale," PC O'Gorman said.
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Drug-smuggling cat' caught trying to sneak into prison with heroin backpack
The black-and-white cat was spotted as it attempted to clamber over a barbed-wire lined fence in Pococi, Costa Rica, with a backpack full of packages of cannabis and heroin A cat caught sneaking into a prison was attempting to smuggle nearly half a kilogram of cannabis and heroin behind bars in a makeshift backpack. The mischievous moggy was apprehended in Costa Rica as it attempted to gain entry to the Pococi Penitentiary in Pococi by clambering over the facility's fence. The Costa Rican Ministry of Justice said in a social media post that the would-be drug mule was caught with several packets of drugs, including 236 grams of cannabis and around 68 grams of heroin. Prison guards have said they believe the cat was attempting to smuggle drugs to inmates. Andress Gutierrez, head of the Panama Penitentiary system, said the cat was found with "a cloth tied around its neck" with packages inserted inside. The packages contained white powder, leaves and "vegetable matter", he said, with an official statement from the Ministry of Justice adding the cat was discovered as it attempted to vault a barbed wire lined fence. An English translation of the statement read: "An officer stationed at one of the forts spotted the animal in the green zone and immediately raised the alarm." The statement added that the cat was caught "thanks to the swift actions of the responding officers" and that its packages were removed before they could reach their intended destination. A video of the captured suspect showed the cat being taken down from its fence perch and carefully handled as officials cut off its makeshift backpack. They later handed the cat over to the National Animal Health Service for an evaluation after the drugs were cut free from its body. According to local reports, prisoners are known to use animals to transport drugs by luring them with food into their cells after they have been loaded with packages. Prison officials are now reviewing CCTV footage as they investigate where the cat came from, and where it was likely being lured to while equipped with the drugs. The unusual incident and video of the cat's hijinks sparked a spirited conversation online, with social media users poking fun while condemning prisoners for taking advantage of the cat. One social media user joked: "How many years cat got." And another quipped: "Hope the judge showed the cat some leniency." One user joked the cat was making a Breaking Bad-style decision. They said: "He's actually doing this to pay for his veterinarian treatment in America." Others were more outraged and concerned for the cat's welfare, with one person saying: "Poor kitty! I'll bet the intended recipient of its cargo wouldn't have been that careful in removing the drugs!"
