Man Wearing 'Breaking Bad' Los Pollos Hermanos T-shirt Busted for Allegedly Running Meth Lab

By Liz Fields February 26, 2014

Daniel Kowalski was arrested Feb. 24, 2014. Courtesy Cook County Sheriff's Office

An Illinois man busted for allegedly attempting to cook meth from his home lab was wearing a Breaking Bad-inspired T-shirt when he was arrested, authorities said.

Daniel Kowalski, 21, was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine manufacturing materials, and possession of methamphetamine precursors - all felonies - according to the Cook County Sherriff's Department.

Police said narcotics officers received a tip that Kowalski, who was already under electronic monitoring for running a meth lab last July, was allegedly back cooking in his home.

Officers decided to check in on the 21-year-old's Cook County home around 6:45 p.m. on Monday, where they found glass beakers, burners, chemicals, and instructional materials for making meth, police said.

Two other unidentified men were also at the home when police arrived. They were taken into custody along with Kowalski, but later released without being charged, police said.

An Illinois State Police Clandestine Lab removal team was later called in to take away the chemicals and lab equipment from the home.

At the time of his latest arrest, Kowalski was sporting a "Los Pollos Hermanos," shirt in reference to the fictional chicken restaurant owned by TV's "Breaking Bad" protagonist Gus Fring.

"He knew something about the television show, whether that was something that inspired him, we don't know," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, Sophia Ansari, said.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart later tweeted:

While one pundit had this piece of advice for Kowalski.

Kowlaski was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of bond for his old case, which on Wednesday was changed to $75,000. The bond for Monday's arrest was set at $100,000.