In what is considered the largest bust of its kind in the country, a young man is facing serious charges after a Central Florida drug and explosives seizure unveiled an operation that authorities referred to as “‘Breaking Bad’ on steroids.”

In a Facebook video shared Wednesday, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello announced they arrested 26-year-old Maxwell Horvath on several charges after local and federal law enforcement agents seized approximately 92,000 pounds of an illegal substance believed to contain concentrations of 7-OH — a byproduct of the kratom plant said to be just as addictive as opioids — with a street value of around $4.7 million.

Earlier this year, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an emergency rule banning the use of 7-OH, calling it an “immediate danger.” Uthmeier is looking to have a judge toss out a challenge to a rule banning the sale and manufacture of the kratom byproduct.

“This is what danger looks like right here,” Ivey said, detailing the dozens of weapons and boxes shown throughout the video. “Everything that you see behind us, everything you see in front of us, is a red flag for disaster.”

Augello added that along with the drugs, agents seized an arsenal of firearms and explosives, including five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the property where the warrant was searched, along with grenade simulators and 50 pounds of precursor chemicals to make explosives.

“We’re not just talking about drugs, we’re not just talking about illegal substances out in the street, we’re talking about explosive devices,” he said. “Things that the military and other countries are utilizing all over the world to take out populations of people.”

Ivey chimed in, calling the situation “terrorist activity across the board.”

“This guy was either looking to engage in war or looking to arm those or furnish to those who are,” Ivey said.

A month-long investigation unveils a “Breaking Bad” operation

The bust came after a month-long investigation that began in September involving the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Palm Bay Police Department.

According to Ivey, Horvath ran a Palm Bay business called Overseas Organics, where agents bought drugs and military-grade weaponry from him during the investigation, and at one point even toured his facility.

“This thing looked like ‘Breaking Bad’ on steroids is what it looked like,” he said. “[Horvath] had it lined up with all sorts of different chambers and rooms, sterile environments, everything else.”

Ivey added that Horvath would allegedly take and extract 7-OH, then put it into compression machines before shipping it outside of Florida, believing it would not violate the new state law surrounding the substance.

“Well, trick-or-treat, he is,” he said. “Not only is he violating the law for that, but all the weapons, all the explosive devices, everything else that he has, is going to land him in prison for the rest of his life.”

According to Ivey and Augello, Horvath is a “career offender” with a criminal record going as far back as when he was only 17. Ivey said that in 2017, Horvath had served two years in federal prison for possession of an explosive device, trafficking MDMA and served two years of federal probation.

Horvath is currently in custody, where he is facing a plethora of charges, including 36 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle, two counts of possession of a short-barreled machine gun, and more charges related to the explosives. Additionally, Ivey said Horvath also has pending federal indictments.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s Republican-controlled House is holding the first meeting of its select committee on congressional redistricting Thursday, as the state becomes the latest to consider redrawing electoral maps amid a partisan battle for every edge in next year’s midterm elections.

The national wave of redistricting efforts was instigated by President Donald Trump, who hopes to buck the historical trend of the president’s party losing seats in midterms, and his allies are wagering that his adopted home state could yield three to five more seats for Republicans. Each seat is crucial, because Democrats need a net gain of just three to control the chamber.

But the push for redistricting faces major challenges in Florida due to bitter infighting between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and leaders in the GOP-dominated Legislature, along with a provision in the state Constitution that explicitly bars redrawing maps with the intent to “favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.”

DeSantis has voiced support for redistricting and even called for a redo of the 2020 U.S. census, claiming that Florida was shortchanged in the count, which determines how many congressional seats each state gets.

“We are going to press this issue,” DeSantis said in August.

This week, in an interview with online outlet The Floridian, DeSantis floated the possibility of calling lawmakers back in a special session if they do not get redistricting done in the regular session, which is scheduled for Jan. 13 to March 13.

The state Senate has declined to wade into the fray so far.

Senate President Ben Albritton, also a Republican, has said there is “no ongoing work” on the matter in his chamber, citing the governor’s desire to address it in the spring.

Civil liberties and voting rights organizations say any redistricting for partisan gain in Florida is unconstitutional, and their supporters plan to pack committee meetings to voice opposition.

“To redraw the lines for partisan reasons is illegal. Period, full stop,” said Genesis Robinson, executive director of the voter engagement organization Equal Ground.

Florida has 28 congressional seats, with a Republican-Democratic split of 20-8.

Nationwide, midcycle redistricting has resulted in nine more congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six that Democrats think they can win. The redistricting is being litigated in several states, however, and there is also no guarantee that the parties will win the remapped seats.

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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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