Waconia Man Charged After Authorities Intercept Packages Allegedly Containing Machine-Gun Conversion Kits
Carver County Jail Booking Photo
Published: August 31st, 2026
WACONIA: A 22-year-old Waconia man is facing two felony charges after authorities say multiple packages containing machine-gun conversion kits were intercepted before investigators conducted a controlled delivery to his residence.
Johnny Dylan Brodbeck has been charged in Carver County District Court with felony possession of a machine-gun conversion kit and fifth-degree controlled substance possession.
According to the criminal complaint, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office was notified in August that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had intercepted a parcel containing multiple machine-gun conversion kits that was being shipped to an address on Redwing Drive in Waconia.
Authorities subsequently learned that at least two other packages destined for the same address had also been intercepted and allegedly contained machine-gun conversion kits, according to the complaint.
A Carver County detective obtained a search warrant on Aug. 21 for the residence and authorization to conduct a controlled delivery of the intercepted parcel.
The complaint states the package was delivered to the Waconia residence at approximately 1:40 p.m. on Aug. 27. Officers conducting surveillance allegedly saw Brodbeck retrieve the parcel from the front porch and take it inside at approximately 2:05 p.m.
About three minutes later, officers received an alert from a GPS device placed inside the package indicating it had been opened, according to the complaint.
Officers then converged on the residence and encountered Brodbeck and his father in an attached garage. Authorities ordered them to exit with their hands in the air, but the complaint alleges Brodbeck instead went back inside through a service door. He emerged several minutes later, followed by his sister.
During a search of the home, deputies allegedly found ammunition in several rooms.
Inside a bedroom identified as Brodbeck's, deputies reported finding a homemade Glock-style Polymer80 9mm handgun without a serial number, more than 100 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a cellphone and identification documents belonging to Brodbeck.
Deputies also allegedly discovered a bag containing a white powdery substance inside a desk in the bedroom. The substance field-tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the complaint. The handgun and suspected methamphetamine were allegedly recovered from the same desk, which also contained Brodbeck's expired identification card.
Brodbeck's mother later told authorities the bedroom belonged to her son, according to the complaint. She reportedly said she was aware that Brodbeck's father may have a firearm stored in a safe but was unaware of Brodbeck having any firearms in the residence.
Brodbeck's sister also told authorities she had seen him with the delivered package inside the home before law enforcement entered, according to the complaint. She allegedly saw him carrying a pipe near the area where the parcel was later located.
The complaint notes that the intercepted machine-gun conversion kits had originally been concealed inside a sealed steel elbow pipe. Authorities returned the package to that condition before conducting the controlled delivery.
Brodbeck is charged with one felony count of owning, possessing or operating a machine-gun conversion kit and one felony count of fifth-degree controlled substance possession.
A criminal complaint represents an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.