8 years in federal prison given to man arrested in Hialeah drug sting operation
A man was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for brokering a deal to buy five kilos of cocaine from an undercover Hialeah police officer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida said in a news release sent Tuesday.
Pablo Reyes-Sanchez, a 33-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced Monday in federal court in Miami to 97 months confinement by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia Altonaga, the office said.
The undercover police officer worked with a confidential source who negotiated the drug transaction with Reyes-Sanchez, court documents show.
“Reyes-Sanchez traveled to Miami with a co-conspirator, obtained a sample of cocaine for inspection, and then completed the transaction by providing the seller cash in exchange for the cocaine,” the office said.
Law enforcement officers arrested Reyes-Sanchez and his co-conspirator on Sept. 16 last year, seizing over $160,000 in cash, a court document shows.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not mention the co-conspirator by name in the news release, but a court document shows that another man named Marclernest Alix was arrested.
No information was made available on Alix.
Before sentencing, Reyes-Sanchez pleaded guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and reentering the country after having been deported, the office said.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Miami and the Hialeah Police Department were in charge of the investigation, the office said.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
