Florida man, New York woman facing over 170 charges each after drug bust turns up illegal puppy mill

A man and a woman are facing more than 180 charges after a drug raid revealed he was running an illegal puppy mill out of a Davie home, authorities said.

Sean Christopher Brodnax, 30, was arrested last week on 181 charges, most of them related to animal abuse, jail and court records showed.

And according to her own arrest report, 29-year-old Danielle Palladino was arrested on 170 charges, mostly related to animal abuse, municipal/city ordinances and for practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

According to court documents, the investigation stemmed from a search warrant at Brodnax's home on Southwest 132nd Street for allegedly trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.

But once authorities were inside the home, in addition to the drugs and guns, they found dozens of animals inside cages living in filth.

"Upon entering the respondents' trailer, a strong stench of feces was immediately noticeable to the officers that made them gag," an arrest warrant said.

Inside the cages were about 25 French bulldog pitbull mixes, which experts say sell for around $10,000 each.

The court records said some of the cages were stacked on top of each other and that some of the dogs were in distress and lived in unsanitary conditions.

Investigators said Brodnax was illegally running a puppy mill, breeding dogs then selling them on his Instagram page "Paws to Riches."

Surveillance video showed the arrest of Brodnax, who at first struggled with officers before they pinned him to the ground.

The video also shows some of the dogs being removed from the home and loaded onto trucks.

In bond court, Brodnax's attorney argued for his release on bond, saying he's not a danger to the community.

"All this relates to 25 dogs in the house which is not unusual for someone who is breeding dogs. I think this is gonna show that was somewhat of a piling on because of the drug charges," the attorney said.

Brodnax was ordered held on $133,000 bond, and he was ordered to have no contact with animals.

Broward County Animal Care officials said Thursday that the dogs were in their care.