When deputies raided San Carlos Park Tuesday, it just so happened one of the men arrested was a nationwide contest winner for a meet-and-greet with the cast of the hit television show “Breaking Bad.”
Ryan Lee Caroll, 28, was arrested, but it would not be his first time making the TV news.
A Fort Myers news station interviewed Caroll back in September after he won the “Breaking Bad” contest.
He shared why he loved the show so much.
"Because it's just so addicting. It's such a good show. I think it's addicting because people can relate to the main character," he said in that previous interview.
The show's main characters made meth.
Caroll was arrested on felony charges of possession of a synthetic narcotic and a misdemeanor charge of keeping a shop or vehicle for dangerous drugs.
"It is bizarre, yeah, I'll give you that, if that turns out to be true. You know, media certainly influences the way that we live, but I would imagine that his dealings would have been before them," said a neighbor.
Dozens of deputies conducted a search warrant at Caroll's home on New Year's Eve while neighbors watched.
"We're just shocked. Especially here. This is a nice area."
The sheriff's office remained tight-lipped the day after the big bust, but neighbors said what they saw was just like something you'd see on TV.
"It was crazy. There had to be like fifteen cop cars, and they were bringing out boxes after box of something."
The Lee County Sheriff's Office reported Carroll ran a synthetic marijuana operation from his Fort Myers home with two other men.
Authorities seized more than $1 million in synthetic marijuana during the bust.
According to deputies, the suspects used a cement mixer to create the drugs. The drugs were shipped through the U.S. Postal Service to other states.
Investigators also seized a souvenir Hazmat suit signed by "Breaking Bad'' cast members.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.