United States v. Muessig

Huong Muessig and Nga Tran (defendants) ran convenience stores selling the cold remedy pseudoephedrine, and over more than a year Tran sold undercover detective Mark Wenthold hundreds of pseudoephedrine pills at prices well above retail, despite warnings from her supplier and her own sister that large-quantity sales could be used to illegally manufacture methamphetamine and despite Wenthold openly telling her that was exactly his purpose; Wenthold repeatedly had to calm Tran's expressed fears that he might be a police officer. Muessig later sold Wenthold 3,024 pills over two weeks, a roughly two-year supply for ordinary cold-fighting purposes, while also voicing suspicion Wenthold might get her arrested, and two witnesses testified she knew pseudoephedrine was a controlled precursor chemical. Both were convicted and appealed, arguing the evidence did not prove they knew Wenthold intended to manufacture methamphetamine.