Chemistry Teachers Who Made Drugs for 7,500 People: "We Did It to Pay Off Debts"

After Renting an Apartment, Teachers Manufacture Drugs
Enough for 7,500 People to Use Simultaneously

In India, two teachers have been arrested for allegedly collaborating to manufacture mephedrone, a drug in quantities sufficient for 7,500 people to use simultaneously. On July 9 (local time), international media outlets including the Indian Express and Hindustan Times reported that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested two teachers in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on charges of producing mephedrone. Mephedrone is a new synthetic drug considered an alternative to methamphetamine (commonly known as Philopon). When consumed in large amounts, it can cause users to bite others' necks, earning it the nickname "zombie drug."

Equipment seized by the police from two teachers. Hindustan Times

According to local police, a 35-year-old chemistry teacher (referred to as Teacher A) from a private school in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, and a 25-year-old science teacher (referred to as Teacher B) from a public school in the same city, rented an apartment to manufacture mephedrone. The Narcotics Control Bureau seized 780 grams of mephedrone produced by the two teachers, along with precursor chemicals used in the synthesis of the drug, such as acetone, benzene, sodium bicarbonate, and bromine, as well as various laboratory equipment.

The quantity of drugs seized by the police is enough for approximately 7,500 people to use at the same time. The Narcotics Control Bureau stated, "We believe they sold the drugs through an intermediary distributor and are currently tracking the distribution network." The two arrested teachers explained that they had known each other for 15 years and became involved in drug manufacturing in order to pay off debts. Similar cases have occurred elsewhere: in 2019, chemistry professors at a state university in the central United States were arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine on campus. In South Korea, in 2016, a graduate student (referred to as Student C) from a chemistry-related department was apprehended for producing 13 grams of methamphetamine in four separate instances using cold medicine and various chemicals in a university laboratory in Seoul where he worked.

Meanwhile, news of the crime has prompted some to draw comparisons to the American TV series "Breaking Bad," which centers on a high school chemistry teacher who manufactures drugs. "Breaking Bad," which aired from 2008 to 2013, tells the story of a chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal lung cancer who begins producing and selling methamphetamine, becomes entangled with drug organizations, and ultimately rises to become a drug kingpin.