Three Florida drug traffickers have been sentenced for kidnapping a rival — then torturing him for 18 hours by pouring hot sauce in his eyes and up his behind.
Mario Espino, now 25, orchestrated the kidnapping and hours-long torture of a former partner-in-crime turned enemy, Gabriel Leger, on Oct. 12, 2023, according to federal prosecutors in Florida.
Espino then worked with Jacob James Guest, 24, and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young, 25, in demanding 10 kilograms of fentanyl from Leger’s cartel sources after they beat and bound him, prosecutors said.
Espino and Young then began torturing him by “pouring hot sauce in Leger’s eyes and anus,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Sullivan wrote in Espino’s sentencing memorandum.
Leger was eventually found in the back seat of a car with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords wrapped around his wrists, according to prosecutors.
The trio — who fled when they saw cops — left behind 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, a firearm and more than $10,000 in cash in the car, prosecutors said.
All three pleaded guilty to charges including drug trafficking, kidnapping and possessing a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes.
Espino was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in federal prison while fellow torturer Young got 25 years. Guest — who was present for the torture but did not actively take part in it — got 20 years.
The fiery feud was ignited over Espino’s frustration with being cut out of Leger’s drug business, court records indicate.
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