Men bound, tortured rival ‘drug trafficker’ with hot sauce in Florida, feds say
Three men, all accused drug traffickers, kidnapped a rival “drug trafficker” in Central Florida, then bound, beat and tortured him with hot sauce for 18 hours, according to federal prosecutors. The trio has now been sentenced to prison over the “heinous” crime.
Mario Espino, now 25, planned the kidnapping and hourslong torture of Gadiel Leger, a man he used to work with in relation to drug trafficking, in Tampa in 2023, federal prosecutors said.
In court filings, prosecutors wrote Espino, “upset by being cut out of Gadiel Leger’s drug business, plotted to kidnap (him) and take over his drug business.”
By promising to pay a drug-related debt, Espino “lured” Leger to Tampa, where he had Jacob James Guest, 24, and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young, 25, help abduct and hold him for ransom, 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 a sentencing memorandum for Espino.
Guest was described by Sullivan as a bystander during the hot sauce-involved torture.
The violence ended on Oct. 11, 2023, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office found Leger in the back seat of a car the men abandoned as they spotted authorities, according to prosecutors.
A pillowcase covered Leger’s head, and zip ties and electrical cords were fastened around his wrists, prosecutors said.
Sentenced to federal prison
Now, Espino, Guest and Young are to spend more than two decades in federal prison on charges of drug trafficking, kidnapping, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a May 29 news release.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven handed a 22-year and six-month sentence to Espino, of Holiday; a 20-year sentence to Guest, also of Holiday; and a 25-year sentence to Young, of Pensacola, according to prosecutors.
Court-appointed attorneys separately representing Espino and Young didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ requests for comment May 30.
Guest’s court-appointed defense attorney, Summer Rae Goldman, told McClatchy News that Guest “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,” Goldman said.
A ransom demand
When Espino, Guest and Young held Leger captive, they contacted Leger’s alleged “cartel drug sources” to demand “10 kilograms of fentanyl” as a ransom payment, prosecutors said.
Espino is accused of repeatedly holding Leger at gunpoint during the ordeal, threatening to kill him, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sullivan wrote in court filings, characterizing him as “an exceptionally violent, high-level drug trafficker.”
Espino and Guest were sentenced May 28, court records show. Young was sentenced May 14.
Though prosecutors denounced Espino over his role in the case during his sentencing hearing that went on for an hour and 30 minutes, they also credited him for helping the government bring cases against other accused drug dealers in Central Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
As for Guest, Sullivan wrote in court filings that his “participation in Mario Espino’s plans was not a one-off,” adding that he’s been affiliated with Espino for years.
Sullivan did acknowledge “Guest was not the leader of these operations.”
“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.
Ahead of Young’s sentencing, Sullivan detailed his lengthy criminal history.
He wrote in court documents that his violent “behavior has escalated” over the years, arguing that “the public needs to be protected from Joey Young.”
Espino, Guest and Young all pleaded guilty in the case, court records show. So did a fourth defendant, Jacob Paul Arjona, who has not been sentenced yet.
Arjona pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to records.
His court-appointed attorney, Patrick N. Leduc, told McClatchy News on May 30 that “Mr. Arjona was not involved with the kidnapping of this other person.”
In an email, Leduc wrote Arjona “simply ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Arjona, according to court records, delivered 50 pounds of methamphetamine in exchange for $113,100 in cash while Leger was held captive, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He’s accused of also beating Leger.
Police officers ultimately pulled Arjona over and found the drug-related cash payment, according to the newspaper.
When federal and local authorities rescued Leger from the car that Espino, Guest and Young had left him in on Oct. 11, 2023, prosecutors said there was “22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, a firearm, and more than $10,000 in cash,” linked to the trio.
“This senselessly violent crime was motivated by sheer greed,” Sullivan emphasized in court filings.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Men bound, tortured rival ‘drug trafficker’ with hot sauce in Florida, feds say."
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