Editor’s note: This story has been updated. The latest court developments appear at the bottom.
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A Palm Beach County judge has set bond for a Boca Raton teen charged with trafficking fentanyl, as newly filed court records and a probable-cause affidavit outline an undercover drug buy near Florida Atlantic University housing and an arrest days later in Highland Beach.
Alexander Zheleznyak, 19, appeared in court Tuesday, where a judge granted a motion to set bond and denied the state’s request for pretrial detention, according to docket entries dated Dec. 16. Bond was set at $100,000.
The ruling followed an earlier posture in the case in which court records reflected probable cause found, a granted state motion for pretrial detention, and bond listed as none after Zheleznyak’s Dec. 11 arrest by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, as first reported by Boca Post last week.
Zheleznyak is charged with trafficking in fentanyl or fentanyl analogues over four grams, a first-degree felony under Florida Statute 893.135(1)(c)1a. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
According to the probable-cause affidavit, Zheleznyak’s occupation was listed as “drug dealer” at the time of arrest.
The affidavit states investigators began looking into Zheleznyak in August after receiving information that he was selling illegal narcotics in Palm Beach County using a specific phone number.
The investigation led to an undercover operation in early October.
On Oct. 8, an undercover agent contacted Zheleznyak by text message asking if he had “Percs” available, according to the affidavit. Zheleznyak responded and told the agent to follow up the next day.
Text messages and phone calls continued on Oct. 9, the affidavit states, and the two agreed to a deal involving 15 pills in exchange for $300. Investigators say the meeting location was set for 1880 E. University Drive in Boca Raton, an address associated with FAU-affiliated student housing.
The transaction took place Oct. 10, according to the affidavit. After briefing with other PBSO Narcotics Unit personnel, the undercover agent drove an unmarked vehicle to the parking area outside Building 58 at the East University Drive address.
Once on scene, the undercover agent called Zheleznyak, who directed the agent to pull in front of the building, the affidavit states. Zheleznyak then walked out from the front walkway and entered the front passenger seat of the undercover vehicle.
Investigators say the undercover agent handed Zheleznyak $300 in prerecorded investigative funds. Zheleznyak allegedly provided a clear plastic bag containing multiple white pills with a circular imprint on one side.
After a brief conversation about potential future transactions, Zheleznyak exited the vehicle and walked back toward the building, according to the affidavit.
The pills were later taken to PBSO’s District 7 substation in West Boca Raton. Investigators identified them as oxycodone pills based on markings and weighed them at approximately 5.9 grams. A presumptive field test returned a positive result for fentanyl, the affidavit states. The pills were submitted for additional laboratory testing.
The affidavit notes the undercover agent was equipped with covert recording equipment during the transaction and that text messages and video evidence were uploaded into a law enforcement evidence system.
Zheleznyak was arrested Dec. 11 in Highland Beach, according to the affidavit, on South Ocean Boulevard.
Jail and court records list an East University Drive address in Boca Raton. Court records do not identify Zheleznyak as a Florida Atlantic University student.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the court imposed multiple release conditions. In addition to the $100,000 bond, Zheleznyak was ordered to surrender his passport to his attorney, who will then turn it over to the clerk’s office within 48 hours of release. The judge also ordered that he remain at home with his parents, call in to supervision once per week, and have no contact with Florida Atlantic University.
Zheleznyak is represented by private counsel, according to the docket.
The case remains assigned in circuit court, with a 30-day return date scheduled for January and an initial case conference set for early February. No plea has been entered in the publicly available record.
UPDATE: A Palm Beach County judge denied the state’s request for pretrial detention and set a $100,000 bond for each charge Tuesday in the fentanyl trafficking cases against Alexander Zheleznyak, court records show. The judge also ordered Zheleznyak to surrender his passport, remain at home with his parents, call in to supervision weekly, and have no contact with Florida Atlantic University. Zheleznyak has plead not guilty.
This story is part of our ongoing Boca Raton News coverage.
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