A little piece of advice; if you're trying to live your best 'Walter White' life and run a literal drug lab, maybe don't call the police to the scene of the crime?
Or do, I guess, because it is the moral thing to do.
However, it wasn't exactly the drug lab that Matthew Leshinsky, from Suffolk County, New York, called the police about on June 7, 2023.
The 23-year-old called 911 at approximately 3:30am to report a burglary at his purported business establishment, Quantitative Laboratories, LLC.
Officers from Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct responded to the scene and found broken glass at the entrance to the establishment.
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Upon closer inspection, the officers discovered the entrance led to what appeared to be a 'clandestine laboratory', according to a report from The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
The lab was involved in the manufacture, production, and preparation of methamphetamine and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), as well as other controlled substances - meaning Leshinsky had led police right to the operation.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the location and discovered more than 100 items of laboratory equipment, chemical reagents and solvents used to create or prepare meth, as well as substances which result from the process.
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Investigators also found $40,000 in cash, a quantity of MDMA (ecstasy), more than 3 ounces of methamphetamine, more than 625,000 milligrams of pure ketamine, and more than 20 plastic 55 gallon drums containing Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).
GBL is chemically similar to Gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), which is more colloquially referred to as the 'date rape drug'.
On February 15, Leshinsky pleaded guilty to Unlawful Manufacture of Methamphetamine in the Third Degree; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree; Criminal Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Material in the Second Degree, and other related charges.
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Commenting on the case, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said: "This defendant was operating a Breaking Bad-style drug lab and tried to conceal it under the guise of a legitimate business.
"He then inadvertently turned himself in when he reported that a burglary occurred at that same business.
“I want to thank the Suffolk County Police Department officers who keenly identified evidence of a clandestine drug lab during their initial response to the scene, as well as our prosecutors and other members of law enforcement for their collaborative efforts to further investigate this defendant and hold him accountable for the deadly drugs he put out onto the streets of Suffolk County.”
Leshinsky is set to return to court for sentencing on 20 March, 2024.
Emily Brown