Previously deported Coral Springs man arrested in undercover drug sting and charged with twelve felony offenses
Coral Springs, Florida – A months-long undercover investigation in Coral Springs has ended with the arrest of a man who authorities say was selling drugs while living in the United States illegally after a prior deportation. The arrest has brought to light not only multiple alleged drug deals but also an extensive list of felony charges.
Police say 49-year-old Leroy Bannister was taken into custody on July 30 after arriving in the parking lot of a business at 11600 West Sample Road. According to investigators, Bannister thought he was meeting a buyer to complete another drug sale. Instead, he was walking into a trap that had been carefully set over several weeks.
Detectives allege that Bannister had been the subject of a long-running undercover sting. Over the course of June and July, officers say he met with an undercover detective on five separate occasions to sell narcotics. Each time, they claim, he delivered six oxycodone tablets, and on several occasions, he allegedly included other drugs such as MDMA — often referred to as “Molly” — and substituted cathinones, a type of synthetic stimulant.
Investigators also noted that Bannister was driving himself to each arranged meeting, despite having a revoked Florida driver’s license. This repeated pattern, police say, allowed them to build a strong case before moving in for the arrest.
On the day he was taken into custody, members of the Coral Springs Police SWAT team say they found Bannister carrying a sizable collection of drugs. The items included 28 suspected oxycodone tablets, a baggie containing 13.8 grams of white powder that later tested positive for substituted cathinones, 72.5 suspected amphetamine tablets, and 38 pills confirmed to be Xanax.
As a result of the investigation, Bannister now faces 12 felony charges. These include five counts of delivering or trafficking oxycodone, one count of trafficking amphetamine, two counts of trafficking phenethylamines/MDMA, one count of possession of substituted cathinones, one count of possession of Xanax, one count of driving with a revoked license, and one federal immigration hold.
During the booking process, authorities confirmed Bannister’s immigration status. Officials say he is a native of the Bahamas who had been deported in the past, but had returned to the U.S. without legal authorization. The Department of Homeland Security’s Investigations unit was contacted and subsequently placed an immigration hold on him.
Bannister is currently being held without bond at the Broward County Jail. Police have not released details on whether additional arrests are expected in connection with the operation, but they described the case as an example of long-term surveillance paying off.
The undercover operation, according to authorities, was designed to identify and dismantle local drug trafficking networks. In this instance, police say the evidence was clear: multiple recorded transactions, consistent quantities of narcotics, and physical possession of a variety of illegal drugs at the time of arrest.
For Coral Springs police, the arrest marks the conclusion of one chapter in their ongoing efforts to curb drug-related crimes in the community. For Bannister, it marks the beginning of what could be a lengthy legal battle, one that will now be handled in both state and federal systems.
