Lured by the prospect of receiving payment for an outstanding debt, a drug trafficking rival of Mario Espino came to Espino’s Florida residence in October 2023, federal officials said.
But no payment was made, officials said.
Agents found the victim in the back seat with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords around his wrists, officials said.
Instead, the rival — who also worked with Espino previously — was subjected to 18 hours of torture and physical abuse, officials said.
According to court documents, Espino plotted with Jacob James Guest and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young to kidnap the victim, officials said, adding that the trio bound, beat, and tortured him.
As part of the victim’s torture, Espino and Young resorted to “pouring hot sauce in [his] eyes and anus,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Sullivan wrote in Espino’s sentencing memorandum, according to the New York Post.
Espino, Guest, and Young also demanded 10 kilograms of fentanyl as ransom from the trafficker’s cartel drug sources, officials said.
The Post, citing court records, added that Espino had been frustrated over being cut out of the victim’s drug business.
On October 11, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office rescued the victim from a vehicle that Espino, Guest, and Young abandoned when law enforcement approached, officials said.
Agents found the victim in the back seat with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords around his wrists, officials said.
Espino, Guest, and Young also left behind 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, a firearm, and more than $10,000 in cash, officials said.
The United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, on Thursday announced that U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Espino — now 25 years old — along with Guest and Young — now 24 and 25, respectively — to federal prison for drug trafficking, kidnapping, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes.
Espino received 22 years and 6 months behind bars while Guest got 20 years and Young got 25 years, officials said, adding that each of them previously pleaded guilty to the offenses.
In regard to what could happen next to the defendants, Amy H. Filjones — public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida — told Blaze News that the Sentencing Reform Act eliminated parole for federal crimes committed after November 1, 1987.
Tampa attorney Ron Frey added to Blaze News that “early release into a supervised release can be possible via various programs and through earned good time credit. However, this is all subject to eligibility and the specific characteristics of each particular defendant.”
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