Two people have pleaded guilty to charges related to a 2022 drug-related murder in Miami. Tsvia Kol, 37, from Hallandale, and Jimmy Sanchez, 37, from Spring Valley, California, entered their pleas last week and could face life in prison.
According to statements made in court and documents filed in the case, Kol and Sanchez were involved with a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine. They believed a Miami man had stolen a package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine valued at approximately $90,000. In retaliation, they arranged to meet the victim at a hotel room. During the meeting, Kol gave Sanchez a firearm. The victim attempted to call 911 during the encounter but was shot and killed by Sanchez. Security footage later showed both defendants leaving the hotel after the incident. The victim’s body was found the next morning.
“This case illustrates that drugs and violence go hand in hand,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As part of their drug operation, these defendants shipped large amounts of methamphetamine, and when they thought the victim stole their product, they killed him in cold blood. The Criminal Division will continue prosecuting serious drug crimes, with and without violence involved, to protect the public from the grave consequences that occur, like they did here.”
“These guilty pleas lay bare the deadly reality of drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This was a cold-blooded murder driven by the drug trade, where intimidation and greed turned narcotics trafficking into violence and death. Our Office will use every federal tool available to dismantle these organizations and hold accountable anyone who chooses violence as a means of doing business.”
“This transnational investigation is the result of law enforcement partners pulling resources and working together to bring these criminals to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division.
“Illegal drug trafficking inherently results in violence which is inflicted by the criminal drug networks that distribute them,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The impact on our communities is real and devastating. The FBI is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners in our common goal of making our communities safe by combating drug-related violence.”
“Postal Inspectors are committed to maintaining the safety of the community and employees of the U.S. Postal Service,” said Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue anyone who uses the nation’s mail system for illegal or dangerous use.”
Both defendants admitted as part of their plea agreements that they murdered an individual connected with missing drugs as well as distributing nearly 11 pounds of methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Dade Sheriff’s Office, Hialeah Police Department, and San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey from DOJ’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section along with Assistant U.S Attorneys Monique Botero and Jacob Koffsky for Southern District Florida are prosecuting.
The case falls under efforts by DOJ’s Violent Crime Initiative focused on prosecuting violent crime offenders through partnerships between federal prosecutors’ offices such as Southern District Florida’s office https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl alongside other agencies targeting gang- or associate-led crimes using federal laws.
Additional information can be found through public records at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20264.
