A woman linked by police to the Sinaloa cartel and who was sentenced to prison for distributing meth has now been formally charged for allegedly luring a drug courier to his execution-style murder at a Miami Springs hotel.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida announced Thursday that Tsvia Kol, 36, and the suspected shooter, 36-year-old Jimmy Sanchez, were indicted in the murder of 46-year-old Julio Gonzalez, who was discovered with gunshot wounds to the face and head in a room at the Aladdin Hotel in 2022.
According to federal prosecutors, Kol lured Gonzalez to the hotel and demanded to know the whereabouts of a missing package of meth that she believed he stole. Kol also allegedly arranged for Sanchez to fly from California to Miami to assist her with carrying out the murder.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Kol and Sanchez were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and causing a death in the course of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
If convicted, they face life in prison and up to $10 million in fines.
Sanchez, who was arrested back in April in connection with the murder, has pleaded not guilty in state court to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Local
In May, Kol was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute the nearly two kilos of meth she was caught with in 2020. But her alleged role in Gonzalez's murder had been unmentioned in open court.