Four men stood trial Wednesday accused of trying to produce crystal meth in a suburban house in Beijing.

Despite failing to successfully make any methamphetamine hydrochloride (ice, or crystal meth) from ephedrine they extracted from prescription drugs, the suspects still transgressed China's criminal law.

The four will face sentences ranging from 18 months to two and a half years in prison, said Xu Shuchang, the public prosecutor at Chaoyang District People's Court.

"Even though they did not successfully make the ice, their behavior has violated the criminal law," Xu told the Global Times.

According to the prosecutor, the four started to make meth in September last year in a rented house in the township of Xiaohongmen, Chaoyang district. In November, they transferred to another rented house in Pinggu district. 

By the time they were detained by police on November 29 last year, following an anonymous tip-off, the inept drug makers had not successfully made any meth. They had only extracted about 600 grams of ephedrine from the prescription drug Ephedrine Hydrochloride and Nitrofurazone Nasal Drops, which is used to treat rhinitis.

The four all pled guilty in court.

Li Quanli, 47, from Beijing, was accused of being the ringleader. His criminal background includes three stints in jail for crimes including robbery and drug possession. 

Yu Xiaobo, 30, from Chongqing, claimed that Li Quanli recruited him.

"Li Quanli bought the nasal drops and asked me to boil the drops to extract ephedrine, but I failed to get good-quality ephedrine. Therefore, I recommended Hu Kaiping [also from Chongqing] to help," said Yu.

Hu claimed that Yu wanted him to come to Beijing to help eliminate the smell from the ephedrine.

"I told them I only know how to extract ephedrine but don't know how to get ice, but they still insisted on bringing me to Beijing," he said.

The last suspect, Li Baofeng, 39, from Beijing, claimed that his only role in the scheme was to transport the drugs Li Quanli bought and rent houses for the meth labs.

"When the house in Xiaohongmen was unsafe, I transferred all the equipment and drugs to Pinggu and rented a house," he said.

Except for Li Baofeng, all the suspects tested positive for drugs.