Laws regarding methamphetamine range widely from state to state and vary depending on the conditions of the specific offense. However, if Walt and Jesse were operating in Minnesota, what laws would they be up against? What criminal consequences might they face?

It is illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess methamphetamine in Minnesota. It is also illegal to possess methamphetamine precursor drugs with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. This information brief explains the laws on methamphetamine, including crimes and penalties for violations of the law, restrictions on the sale of precursor drugs, and regulations regarding the use and cleanup of property used for manufacturing methamphetamine.

Can’t get enough Breaking Bad? Read more of our series The Criminology of Breaking Bad here.

In this installment of our Breaking Bad series, we will explore one of the most interesting, intriguing, and scandalous characters of the show.  Saul Goodman is the smarmy, fast-talking, law breaking criminal defense attorney hired by Walter White and Jesse Pinkman to help them along the way as they struggle and triumph in their life of crime.

Saul was originally contacted after Jesse’s then-partner Badger was arrested for sale of methamphetamine. Walter then offered to pay Saul $10,000 to keep Badger from talking to the DEA. Saul refuses, claiming that he finds such an idea morally reprehensible. Resorting to more drastic measures, Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul and take him to the middle of the desert. He is eventually convinced and a new partnership is formed.

Not all attorney are shady operators like Saul. In fact, most are not. Despite his dubious dealings however, Saul has proven time and again to be well-versed in all aspects of the law. Goodman is not only a defense attorney, but also partakes in any other branch of representation that his clients require. In the case of Walter and Jesse, this includes money laundering.

Simply put, money laundering is concealing the source of money. That is, making money that comes from an illegal source look as though it was obtained legally. Saul doesn’t just dabble in white collar crime. He also has criminal connections with a much more violent flair.

Saul Goodman has an associate named Mike who does his cleanup work. In various episodes, we see Mike cleaning up and doctoring crime scenes, performing murder-for-hire, and various other nefarious tasks. He also works as Saul Goodman’s private investigator. Mike is calm, smooth, and highly professional.

Saul Goodman is an intelligent, savvy attorney who involves himself with the criminal dealings of his clients.  We at Appelman Law Firm love the character of Saul Goodman, His legal expertise is admirable and his tenacity is a quality possessed by any good criminal defense attorney. However, outside of T.V.-land, it is advisable to choose a criminal defense attorney that isn’t a part of the criminal process.

Can’t get enough of Saul Goodman? There are rumors of a potential “Better Call Saul”  spin off in the future!

Stay tuned for the next installment of our series The Criminology of Breaking Bad.

In January of 2008, Breaking Bad premiered on AMC. And so our obsession began.

This new series will explore the crimes and criminals of the television series from a criminal defense perspective. To do so, we must look back to where it all began: the pilot episode.

For those of you who have missed out on the past four years of brilliant television:

Breaking Bad takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Walter White is a lackluster and disenfranchised high school chemistry teacher in New Mexico, bereft with financial troubles, who has been diagnosed with inoperable, late stage lung cancer. Walter fears for his family’s financial future and, after learning of the money available in the drug trade, is inspired to take a new direction in life.  Walter partners with former student Jesse Pinkman and the two begin to manufacture and sell methamphetamine while slowly developing a criminal enterprise. You can read a full synopsis of the pilot episode here.

The inaugural episode of Breaking Bad prompts the audience to reconsider how they conceive the types of people that become involved in crime. Walter White is unassuming and straight-laced, but yet he steps into a world of hardened criminals. Walter was not born into the drug trade and he doesn’t fit the stereotype of a man destined to “break bad”.  He turned to the drug trade in desperation, motivation by financial hardship.

A 1996 DEA report paints a picture of the “typical” meth user: male, between the ages of 19 and 40. This profile still dominates public opinion today, and is superficially personified by Jesse Pinkman—a failed student, burnt out and restless with no ambition. However, once we learn more about his upbringing, he continually contradicts conventional notions, despite his appearance and public demeanor. Jesse was born into an upper-middle class, urban household. He is not the offspring of the streets, but instead was forced out by well-meaning parents who refused to tolerate his self destruction. Jesse makes and sells drugs to support himself financially.

According to MN criminal defense attorney Stacy Kaye, the profiles of the people involved in the methamphetamine trade continue to blur the lines of stereotypical demographics. In fact, more than 12.3 million Americans are reported to have tried methamphetamine. Once considered the bane of rural small towns, methamphetamine is making its way into city party scenes and replacing drugs like cocaine as the substance of choice for characters like Jesse Pinkman. This spread is due, in part, to the rise of organized manufacturing and trafficking from Mexico. Unlike the small town user mixing chemicals in their garage to supply their own high, we are now seeing a business-minded enterprise emerge, blazing the trails for figures such as Walter White to enter the drug trade.

While the audience is drawn closer to the leading characters, they are still left to reconcile with the justice system that vilifies them. In Minnesota, a person may be charged with a first degree felony controlled substance crime for manufacturing any amount of methamphetamine. The maximum penalty for this offense is 30 years in prison and up to $1,000,000 in fines.

The most important message to take away from the pilot episode is that the “criminal” is not an alien breed. The Walter White in the RV meth lab is the same Walter White we see in the classroom. It is the legal status of the chemicals which draws the line between ordinary citizen and criminal offender.  Granted, the story continues to unfold and the characters’ actions become darker as the series progresses. However, the pilot episode serves to humanize these characters. This is perhaps why Breaking Bad resonates so strongly with our criminal defense firm. We understand that our clients are ordinary people who happen to be tangled up in statutes and legislation, often as a result of falling on hard times or an instance of poor judgement.

Stay tuned as next week, we explore specific criminal charges and penalties these characters could face in the real world as we continue our blog series The Criminology of Breaking Bad. In the meantime, learn about a real-life Walter White.

Like any warm-blooded humans (we’re only sharks when it comes to our clients!), Appelman Law Firm can’t get enough of the AMC series Breaking Bad.  So, when the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office added a man named Walter White to their Most Wanted roster, it captured our attention.

What’s more? The Alabama Walter White was on the lam after violating his probation in a methamphetamine manufacturing case. Yep, that’s right! Real-life Walter White is involved in the same type of criminal enterprise as his television counterpart, methamphetamine cook extraordinaire/kingpin Walter White. The kicker? Both Walter Whites are in their fifties.

Walter Eddy White was first arrested and charged with the manufacture of methamphetamine in 2008–coincidentally, the same year Breaking Bad premiered!  Earlier this year, White violated his probation after being charged with possession of a controlled substance, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of precursor materials and manufacturing a controlled substance.  Last week, the Tuscaloosa Sheriff named White a high-priority fugitive.  According to the Sheriff’s Office, White has since been captured, thus failing where Breaking Bad‘s “Heisenberg” continues to succeed in season 5.

Walter Eddy White is not the only offender to share a name and a criminal record with a television character. In January, 19-year-old Omar Little was arrested in Baltimore–the same city where HBO’s The Wire unfolded and where character Omar Little lived as a career criminal. Real-life Little was arrested on handgun charges, following in the footsteps of fictitious Omar Little who was shown on The Wire committing acts of murder, first degree assault, robbery, first degree sale of a controlled substance, and perjury.

Now that Walter White is back in the custody of the Tuscaloosa Sheriff, it’s time for his arraignment and then to prepare for the legal proceedings to follow.  According to MN criminal defense attorney Avery Appelman,  if Walter Eddy White hasn’t yet retained an experienced criminal defense attorney, he needs to do so immediately. The charges against White are very serious and the penalties he will now be facing are severe. This is not a case that should be left in the hands of a public defender is White is to have any hope of thorough representation.

We are  so excited to finally do a Breaking Bad-related piece that we’re not going to stop yet! Stay tuned as we explore the various legal aspects of the television show in our new blog series Crimes & Criminals of Breaking Bad. With so much content to choose from, we’d love to hear your ideas for where you’d like to see the series go!

Related Sources:

Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Office

Baltimore Police Department

HBO

AMC