TAMPA, Fla. – Two women from Dade City are headed to federal prison after a major drug trafficking investigation revealed a pipeline of fentanyl and methamphetamine running straight into Pasco County.
U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced 29-year-old Lizbet Sanchez-Alvear to 16 years behind bars for her role as a top-level drug broker. Her associate, Cecelia Yalitza Ruiz, also 29, was handed a 27-month sentence for destroying key evidence during a chaotic scene with police.
For the last three years, Sanchez-Alvear was much more than a street-level dealer. According to court records, she acted as the main connection point between heavy-hitting suppliers in Mexico and Atlanta and the mid-level dealers operating in Florida.
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She made her living setting up these deals and collecting fees for her services. The numbers were significant; for just one single dealer, she arranged the delivery of 50 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl. Perhaps most concerning to investigators was that Sanchez-Alvear frequently handled these drug transactions while her young children were right there with her.
One specific deal in March 2025 helped seal her fate. Sanchez-Alvear organized a pickup of 4.5 kilograms of meth from a supplier in Apopka. She sorted out the logistics, took her cut of the money, and sent her customer the address. Law enforcement intercepted the drugs, but the situation escalated a few days later when officers tried to talk to her.
On March 11, police caught up with Sanchez-Alvear and Ruiz as they were walking out of a restaurant in Zephyrhills. When Ruiz realized agents were there to question her friend about drugs, she didn’t go quietly. She started screaming and cursing at the officers, creating a scene in the parking lot.
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In the confusion, she went to Sanchez-Alvear’s car, grabbed her friend’s phone, and destroyed it. She knew the phone held incriminating proof of the drug trafficking.
Later, during a break in questioning, Ruiz admitted to Sanchez-Alvear that she had broken the device, and Sanchez-Alvear told her to make sure the cops never got their hands on it. Ruiz drove off with the broken phone, and it was never found.
This wasn’t Ruiz’s first clash with authority. She has a record that includes assaulting law enforcement, including a past conviction for punching a police officer in the face. The investigation that brought them down was a joint effort involving the Tampa Police Department, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security, and the FBI.
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