Just when you think you’ve heard it all, a man in Florida sets out to prove you wrong. This week, Mario Espino was sentenced to 22 years in prison after he reportedly kidnapped a rival drug dealer and used hot sauce to torture the man. It sounds like a story pulled straight out of a TV crime series. However, it’s a true story that happened in Pasco County and left residents scratching their heads.
According to Tampa Bay News, a federal judge sentenced Mario Espino, 26, to more than two decades in prison. The judge called the criminal “a victim of his own ambition,” who had hoped to be the “No. 1 drug dealer in Pasco County.”
However, the Florida man seemingly believed another drug dealer stood in the way of accomplishing that goal. Fellow drug trafficker, Gadiel Leger, began to sell to Espino’s clients behind his back, and a drug turf war erupted. Espino was reportedly so upset by Leger’s dirty dealings that he lured the man to his home by promising to pay off a debt. However, once Leger was inside, it became a nightmare situation for him.
Mario Espino and two accomplices, Joey Young and Jacob Guest, were said to have zip-tied Leger so that he couldn’t move. Then they spent hours beating him and torturing him with hot sauce. Court docs reveal a horrifying situation as the hot sauce was poured into Leger’s eyes and even his backside.
Florida Man Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Hot Sauce Torture Tactic
During the time that Leger was being beaten and tortured, a man named Jacob Arjona arrived at Espino’s home. He dropped off 50 pounds of methamphetamine and collected more than $113,000 in cash. He witnessed Leger tied up and bleeding.
After Arjona left the scene, the police stopped him and found the large sum of money. Meanwhile, Leger and his accomplices put Leger in an SUV and left the home. When they returned, the police were there.
While Leger was being tortured, another man, Jacob Arjona, arrived in a minivan. He walked inside carrying a black suitcase that held 50 pounds of methamphetamine, court records state. He collected a cash payment of $113,100. While he was there, he saw Leger, tied up and bleeding, and joined in the beating, records state.
Leger was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, which included a brain bleed. After being arrested, Espino worked with the police to give information about other drug dealers in the area.
The internet had plenty to say about Mario Espino’s method of choice for torturing his victim.
“That’s Taco Bell justice,” one person commented via Reddit.
“This seems like just another Tuesday in Florida,” another stated.
“Florida’s going soft. Kidnapping, trafficking, and torture only got him 22 years. What a joke,” a third comment read.
Now, Mario Espino will have plenty of time to think about his actions as he spends the next several years of his life behind bars in a Florida prison.
