Boynton Beach Police said they conducted an operation to find the suspected dealer who sold heroin to a recent overdose victim.
“The demand side has been ignored for far too long,” Boynton Beach Police Chief Jeffrey Katz said in a statement.
The investigation led them to Marquis Lazeria Bonner, according to an arrest report.
“As long as people are addicted to this poison, there will be those who exploit these addictions for their own gain,” Katz said.
An agent said in the report he contacted Bonner over the phone and Bonner agreed to sell him five bags of heroin and two syringes, even offering to throw in an extra bag of heroin for free.
The two arranged to meet in the Walmart parking lot on South Federal Hwy. on Aug. 2, the report states.
The agent said he provided the takedown signal to other officers as Bonner entered the parking lot.
Then, the agent called the number he had for the dealer and Bonner’s phone rang the report states.
Police searching Bonner’s car said they found two syringes, marijuana seeds, and bullets inside.
Court records show Bonner was convicted for robbery and carrying a concealed firearm in 2014.
Bonner was arrested and is charged with attempted sale of heroin, possession of ammo by a convicted felon, driving with a cancelled/suspended license, and possession of marijuana. He is being held at the Palm Beach County jail on $20,000 bond.
Read the rest of Chief Katz’s statement below:
We need to frame this issue for what it is: a public health crisis. The police are not the solution. We own a piece of this response, but this crisis requires a far more comprehensive community response.
Story updated to clarify that Bonner's middle name is Lazeria.