Two Sentenced to Over 46 Years for 2022 Drug-Related Murder in Miami

A Florida woman and California man have been sentenced to 230 months and 330 months in prison, respectively, for the 2022 killing of a man in relation to a drug trafficking conspiracy. Both defendants had pleaded guilty to using a firearm to cause death and conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale, Florida, and Jimmy Sanchez, 38, of Spring Valley, California, murdered a Miami man (the victim) in connection with a missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000. Kol and Sanchez believed that the victim stole the package of drugs, but in fact the drugs had been seized by law enforcement. Kol and Sanchez confronted the victim in a hotel room that they had rented, and Kol provided Sanchez with a firearm. While inside the room, the victim called 911 and attempted to provide his location. The recorded 911 call captured the sounds of a physical altercation and gunshots. Hotel security footage revealed Kol and Sanchez fleeing the property after the shooting, and the victim’s body was not discovered in the hotel room until the day after. Sanchez admitted that he shot and murdered the victim and Kol admitted that she had been an accomplice. “Suspecting that the victim had stolen drugs from them, these defendants committed a callous murder,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The drug business is a dangerous game that results in death, ruined lives, and torn families. The Criminal Division prioritizes prosecuting drug crimes, especially those involving violence.” “This started as a drug deal gone wrong and ended in an execution,” said U.S. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendants armed themselves, set up the victim, and carried out a killing over a missing drug package that had already been seized by law enforcement. The prison sentences, over 19 years and over 27 years, reflect the seriousness of that violence. As a career prosecutor and former trial judge, I’ve seen how often drug trafficking turns deadly. In South Florida, we pursue long federal sentences that keep violent criminals off the streets and protect our community.” “These defendants ruthlessly murdered someone whom they thought had stolen from their own illegal drug trafficking network. Today their sentence ends this cycle of violence,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The FBI, with our federal, state and local partners work around the clock to ensure these destructive criminals with no regard for a human life are found and held accountable with the goal of making our communities safer and free from drug-related crimes like this.” “Drug trafficking and violence unfortunately go hand-in-hand,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division. â€œDEA Miami Agents are working tirelessly to bring justice and safety to our community.” “In this case the defendants decided the contents of a package were worth more than the victim’s life.

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