Drug Trafficking Charges Land Pasco Woman In Federal Prison: U.S. DOJ

DADE CITY, FL — A Pasco County woman was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

Lizbet Sanchez-Alvear, 29, of Dade City pleaded guilty on Oct. 27.

A second Dade City woman, Cecelia Yalitz Ruiz, 29, was also sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for separate charges related to the case after destroying evidence relating to Sanchez’s investigation, the DOJ said. Ruiz pleaded guilty on Aug. 12.

Sanchez was the main source of supply and a broker for mid-level narcotics dealers in Pasco County over the last three years, distributing to one dealer alone at least 50 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl, the department said.

She specialized in connecting the drug supply sources in Mexico and Atlanta with mid-level narcotics dealers in central Florida, brokering numerous deals and receiving payment for her services, the DOJ said.

Brokering and coordinating drug deals was Sanchez’s primary source of income, and she often conducted these transactions with her young children present.

On March 6, Sanchez arranged for one of her customers to get 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from one of her suppliers in Apopka. After coordinating the logistics of the transaction and arranging her fee, Sanchez sent her customer the address to retrieve the drugs, which were later seized by law enforcement, the DOJ said.

On March 11, federal and local law enforcement officers tried to interview Sanchez about her narcotics activities as she and Ruiz left a Zephyrhills restaurant together.

Once Ruiz realized that law enforcement was trying to question Sanchez about her drug crimes, Ruiz became agitated, causing a chaotic scene in the parking lot, screaming and cursing at law enforcement officers, the department said.

Ruiz went into Sanchez’s vehicle and retrieved Sanchez’s phone, knowing it contained evidence of drug trafficking. Ruiz brought the phone to her own vehicle and destroyed the device, the DOJ said.

During a break in law enforcement’s questioning of Sanchez, Ruiz told her that she had destroyed the phone. Sanchez then told Ruiz not to give the phone to the law enforcement officers.

Shortly after this conversation, Ruiz drove away from the scene with the destroyed phone, which was never recovered by law enforcement.

Ruiz has previous convictions for assaulting and battering law enforcement officers, including for punching a police officer in the face.

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