Three accused drug traffickers in Florida are heading to prison after they kidnapped a rival drug trafficker and tortured him for nearly 20 hours using hot sauce, according to federal prosecutors.
Mario Espino, now 25, orchestrated the kidnapping and the 18-hour-long torture of Gadiel Leger, an alleged former partner in crime. The incident occurred in 2013 in Tampa, according to a Miami Herald report.
According to court records, Espino was frustrated that he had been “cut out of Gadiel Leger’s drug business” and “plotted to kidnap [him] and take over his drug business.”
Espino lured Leger to Tampa on the promise that he was going to repay an old drug debt, according to prosecutors. Once Leger reached Tampa, Espino’s co-defendants, Jacob James Guest, 24, and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young, 25, abducted Leger and held him for ransom.
The men contacted Leger’s alleged “cartel drug sources” and demanded “10 kilograms of fentanyl” to secure his release, according to prosecutors.
“While Leger was held captive, Espino and Young tortured Leger by pouring hot sauce in Leger’s eyes and anus,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Sullivan wrote in Espino’s sentencing memorandum.
According to Sullivan, Guest did not directly participate in the torture, but was present when it was taking place.
“While Guest did physically strike Gadiel Leger while he was held captive, Guest did not pour hot sauce on Leger like Espino and Young did,” Sullivan wrote in court documents.
Leger was eventually rescued on October 11, 2023, when U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office found him in the back seat of a car that the defendants abandoned when authorities arrived.
Law enforcement officers found Leger with a pillowcase covering his head and his wrists tied.
Espino has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison. Guest was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Young was sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to prosecutors.
Guest’s attorney told McClatchy News that he is “deeply remorseful for his actions.”
“He is fully committed to utilizing his time in custody to learn, grow, and change, with the goal of reentering society as a responsible and productive person,” the attorney, Summer Rae Goldman, said.
Prosecutors also revealed that despite Espino’s role in the kidnapping and torture, he had previously assisted the government in bringing cases against other accused drug dealers in Central Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
