Alleged Sinaloa Cartel members charged over murder at Miami hotel

Two people suspected of being members of the Sinaloa Cartel have been charged over the murder of a man in an adults-only hotel in Miami in 2022, police said.

Concretely, Jimmy Sanchez and Tsvia Kol are accused of killing Julio Gonzalez, 46, in a manner that resembled an execution. They have also been charged with a series of federal drug trafficking offenses. If found guilty, they could face up to life in prison and $10 million in fines.

Sanchez was imprisoned on a first-degree murder charge. Kol was jailed on an unrelated drug trafficking case and sentenced in May to nine years in prison. Prior to her arrest, she admitted to her involvement in the cartel and agreed to cooperate with federal agents, court documents showed. She was detained after being dropped as an informant, with prosecutors saying she would flee the country.

But in regards to the murder, it is suspected that Kol lured González to the hotel to figure out where a methamphetamine package she suspected he had stolen. Federal prosecutors say she sought Sanchez's assistance "with locating the missing package and the subsequent murder of the victim."

Footage shows González arriving to the hotel at night, with Kol then getting in her vehicle to pick him up. They then entered the lobby and 15 minutes later she made a brief call to Sanchez.

The man then entered the lobby and went to the room. Shortly after, he dialed 911 and said there was an urgent matter at the hotel. The dispatcher overheard a struggle and González shouted "No, no, no" before gunshots were heard.

González girlfriend then told investigators that Kol was threatening to kill him and that he had posted on Facebook a message saying that if something happened to him, she would be responsible.