FAU Student, 19, Accused of Selling Drugs Out of Student Housing Complex

Alexander Zheleznyak (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

An investigation led undercover Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies to a student housing complex at Florida Atlantic University, where oxycodone pills – later determined to actually have been fentanyl – were purchased during a controlled purchase, court records stated.

Alexander Zheleznyak, 19, of Sarasota, remains lodged without bail at the Palm Beach County Jail on charges of trafficking more than four grams of fentanyl. He was booked into the jail Dec. 11, 2025 based on the investigation, which began in August and resulted in the controlled buy in October.

According to a police report, agents with PBSO began investigating Zheleznyak after they received a report that drugs were being sold via text message through a phone number linked to him. Agents first made contact Sept. 25, 2025, when the investigator asked if “percs” or “addys” were available, referring to the drugs Percocet and Adderall. The person who responded, later determined to be Zheleznyak, allegedly said he did not have Adderall but did have Percocet, also known as oxycodone. The seller indicated the oxycodone pills were “RP10” pills, which indicated 10mg doses.

A meeting never occurred, but the investigator sent another text on Sept. 30, 2025, kicking off a conversation the following day in which the undercover officer agreed to buy 15 oxycodone pills for $20 each. The controlled buy took place Oct. 2, 2025, the court documents stated, with the seller telling the officer to meet him at 1880 E. University Drive, which corresponds to the University Village Apartments. Police also listed the complex as Zheleznyak’s local address, and records indicated he was a student at FAU.

The undercover officer, the report stated, purchased 15 pills during a three-minute exchange in an unmarked vehicle in the parking lot of the building. The pills were marked “RP 10 325,” which would correspond to 10mg oxycodone pills. A laboratory analysis of the pills, however, revealed that they were actually fentanyl, weighing in at 5.87 grams.

Zheleznyak was arrested Dec. 11, 2025 at an address in Highland Beach. He was remained at the Palm Beach County Jail ever since.