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Arts & Entertainment

Contest Winner Who Watched 'Breaking Bad' Finale With Cast Arrested In Drug Bust

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A man who won a contest to watch the series finale of "Breaking Bad" last year started out 2014 by being arrested on some very Heisenberg-esque charges.Ryan Lee Carroll, 28, was arrested early New Year's Day at his home in Fort Myers, Florida, the site of an alleged drug operation. Carroll is accused of selling synthetic marijuana and shipping it across the country out of his home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Authorities seized $1 million worth of synthetic marijuana and said the suspects used a cement mixer to make their drugs.

After Carroll won the contest, he gushed to a local paper that the show was "highly addicting, just like the meth they make." Caroll marveled over Walt White's transformation, telling The Naples News, "You just see him transform into the devil, basically." It doesn't sound like Carroll had a day job. In that article, he was described only as "a San Carlos Park resident and FGCU grad."

Aaron Paul himself let Carroll know that he had won the contest. Carroll told The Naples News that he looks up to Paul for his charity work and for regularly reaching out to fans. Carroll said, "Based on my conversations with him, he seems real laid back and cool. I can’t wait to meet him."

But now Carroll is being charged with possession of a synthetic narcotic, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and keeping a shop or vehicle for dangerous drugs, according to the New York Daily News. Two other men were arrested along with Carroll, though neither of them were the friend that he brought with him to the "Breaking Bad" finale.

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