Overview

• Mario Espino received 22.5 years while Joey Young was handed 25 years and Jacob Guest got 20 years for their roles in the kidnapping and torture.
• On October 12, 2023 the trio held Gabriel Leger captive, pouring hot sauce into his eyes and rectum to force him to procure fentanyl from cartel contacts.
• Authorities said the men fled when law enforcement approached, abandoning 22 kg of meth, 100 g of fentanyl, a firearm and over $10,000 in cash.
• All three pleaded guilty to kidnapping, drug trafficking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime.
• The US Justice Department cited the case as an example of the extreme violence that can erupt from internal disputes within trafficking networks.