Tampa, Florida – In a shocking turn of events, Mario Espino, a 25-year-old from Holiday, Florida, has pleaded guilty to five counts of a superseding indictment charging him with kidnapping, possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the plea agreement, Espino lured his victim to Florida by claiming to have money to pay a drug debt, but in reality, he intended to kidnap the victim in retaliation for cutting into Espino’s drug business. He recruited his co-conspirators, Jacob James Guest and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young, to assist with the kidnapping.
DEA agents attempted to thwart the kidnapping by intercepting the victim at Tampa International Airport and warning the victim of Espino’s plan. The victim ignored that warning and met Espino at a residence in Holiday. Once there, Espino, Guest, and Young struck the victim with the butt of a firearm and bound the victim’s hands and feet with zip ties.
Espino and his co-conspirators violently beat the victim, tortured him, and threatened to kill him on multiple occasions. They called the victim’s drug supplier and demanded 10 kilograms of fentanyl as ransom. Meanwhile, one of Espino’s methamphetamine suppliers, Jacob Paul Arjona, arrived at the residence in Holiday, delivered approximately 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, and left with $113,100 cash.
Espino, Guest, and Young transported the victim to various locations throughout the Middle District of Florida before arriving back at the residence in Holiday. When they returned, agents from the DEA and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office intervened and rescued the victim, who was found in the back seat of a car with his hands and feet bound in electrical cord and zip ties.
Inside the vehicle, agents located 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 154 grams of fentanyl, a Micro Draco 7.62 x 39 mm firearm, and a pillowcase that had been placed over the victim’s head. Prior to the kidnapping, Espino had conspired with others to bring substantial quantities of methamphetamine to the Middle District of Florida for distribution.
Espino faces minimum mandatory penalties amounting to 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 31, 2024. Guest, Young, and Arjona have been charged for their alleged roles in this case and are pending trial.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (Arizona), and the Turner County Sheriff’s Office (Georgia). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Sullivan and Suzanne C. Nebesky.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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