Florida Atlantic University Scene Of Arrest. $200,000 Bond.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A 19-year-old student at Florida Atlantic University is facing felony charges after an undercover operation allegedly caught him selling fentanyl-laced pills on the Boca Raton campus. Alexander Zheleznyak was arrested on December 11, 2025, by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office following a months-long investigation. Detectives say they began tracking Zheleznyak in August after receiving information that he was using his mobile phone to coordinate drug sales within the county.
The investigation came to a head in October when an undercover agent contacted Zheleznyak to purchase “Percs,” a street term for Percocet. According to court documents, Zheleznyak agreed to sell 15 pills for $300 and directed the agent to meet him at his campus residence on East University Drive. This was reportedly not the first time the agency had dealt with Zheleznyak; investigators noted a prior undercover purchase had occurred at the same location earlier in the year.
During the recorded transaction on October 10th, Zheleznyak allegedly met the undercover agent in a parking lot outside an FAU building. Investigators say he entered the agent’s unmarked vehicle and exchanged a clear plastic bag containing white pills for $300 in marked bills. While the exchange was brief, the entire interaction was monitored by surveillance teams using covert audio and video recording devices.
Following the deal, the pills were taken to a sheriff’s office substation where they were weighed at 5.9 grams. Although they were marked to look like Oxycodone, a field test returned a positive result for the presence of fentanyl. Zheleznyak, who is listed in arrest records as a “drug dealer” by occupation, is now charged with trafficking in fentanyl. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and later released on $200,000 bond. He is prohibited from interacting with anyone from Florida Atlantic University. He must stay in his parents’ home.
