Miami has a crime problem that makes tourists easy targets.
One woman just kept hitting the same spots over and over.
And a Miami detective recognized this woman the moment security footage started rolling.
Woman built pattern so obvious detective knew her on sight
Sarah Tavano ran the same scam so many times that when a Miami detective watched surveillance footage from yet another drugging and robbery case, he didn't need to run facial recognition.
He knew exactly who she was.
The 39-year-old Massachusetts native faces 10 criminal charges across four separate cases in Miami-Dade County after police finally caught up with her pattern of targeting men at upscale bars and hotels.
Tavano's method was simple and brutal.
She'd gain the trust of men at places like Sugar nightclub and Blackbird bar "under the pretense of consensual activity," according to police reports.
Then she'd slip them something that knocked them cold.
By the time they woke up, Tavano had vanished with their Rolex watches, designer bags, jewelry, and cash.
That level of brazenness catches up with you eventually.
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October robbery kicked off three-month crime spree
The first documented case hit on October 26, 2025.
A man called police to his condo at Latitude on the River after meeting a woman the night before at Blackbird.
"He does not remember inviting her into his apartment," the police report stated.
The man woke up to find gold and diamond jewelry, suitcases, handbags, and wallets gone from his 36th-floor condo.
The stolen items belonged to his fiancée and were valued at over $50,000.
A fingerprint on a brown watch case matched Tavano.
She confessed that "the clothes she changed into were stolen" and that "she stole the suitcases filled with 20+ luxury bags," according to the incident report.
The haul included Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Versace, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent pieces.
Six weeks later on December 11, another man reported over $34,000 stolen through unauthorized bank and crypto transfers after meeting a woman at a different bar.
His phone and wallet disappeared while he was unconscious.
"The victim reported experiencing a severe blackout, falling unconscious," the police report said.
Two days after that, on December 13, a man at the InterContinental Hotel invited a woman from a bar to his room.
"He consumed a drink, began to feel ill, experiencing sudden nausea, weakness, and dizziness, before losing consciousness," authorities wrote.
When he woke up, the woman had vanished with his $38,000 Rolex and $1,500 in cash.
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The man told police he suspected drugging and described "prolonged symptoms of nausea, extreme weakness, dizziness, and vomiting that persisted for approximately one week."
That's when the detective watched the surveillance footage and immediately recognized Tavano from his two prior investigations.
Police caught her with drugging kit at same nightclub
Miami cops finally nabbed Tavano on Sunday, January 19, 2026, at Sugar nightclub — the same 40th-floor rooftop bar where she'd hunted previous victims.
When officers detained her, they found exactly what you'd expect from someone running this operation.
A baggie with white powder.
A plastic cup with four pills.
And a bottle of Jägermeister "containing a cloudy liquid with visible powder residue settled at the bottom," according to the arrest report.
Tavano told authorities the liquid in the bottle contained MDMA.
The detective noted that "the presence of prescription medication mixed into alcoholic beverages is consistent with methods used to incapacitate victims and render them unconscious."
She now faces charges including burglary of an occupied dwelling, strong-armed robbery, organized fraud, second-degree grand theft, food or water poisoning, cocaine possession, and possession of a controlled substance.
Her total bond sits at $55,000.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Michelle Delancy is presiding over the four cases.
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The court also required Tavano to prove that any funds used for bail didn't come from criminal activity.
Miami has become hunting ground for drugging robberies
Tavano isn't some isolated case.
Last May, Brittney G. Scott got arrested for drugging men and stealing their Rolex watches in three separate cases dating back to 2023.
In August 2025, police arrested Angelina Chenel Esty for participating in a sophisticated robbery at a Brickell apartment after meeting the victim at a bar.
That same month, another woman was arrested after similar incidents at luxury hotels.
The pattern is always the same — women target men displaying wealth at upscale venues, offer to continue the party, drug them, and clean them out before vanishing.
The pattern works because men are vulnerable after drinking and embarrassed to report being victimized during what they thought was casual dating.
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"These crimes are especially damaging because they mix intimacy and trust with fraud," a former Miami detective told local media.
Tourists make particularly easy targets.
They're unfamiliar with the area, carrying valuables, looking to have a good time, and unlikely to stick around for lengthy investigations.
The reality for men visiting Miami's nightlife scene has become stark — that attractive woman showing interest might be casing you for everything in your hotel room.
Tavano's arrest won't stop the pattern.
As long as Miami remains a playground for wealthy tourists and locals flashing expensive watches, women running these drugging operations will keep working the bars.
The next Sarah Tavano is probably sizing up her mark right now at some rooftop bar in Brickell.
Sources:
- Isabel Keane, "Miami woman accused of drugging men she met at bars to rob their places while they were passed out," The Independent, January 20, 2026.
- Conrad Hoyt, "Woman tricked men into letting her stay the night before drugging and robbing them, police say," Law & Crime, January 22, 2026.
- Andrea Torres, "Police: Woman drugged so many burglary victims she had met at bars, Miami detective recognized her," Local 10 News, January 20, 2026.
- "Woman accused of drugging and ripping off multiple men she met at Miami clubs," NBC 6 South Florida, January 21, 2026.
- "Another woman arrested in Miami-Dade County accused of drugging her victim to steal luxury items," Cuba en Miami, October 2, 2025.
