Four men have been jailed for the killing of Tomasz Samel, a member of an organised crime group who was tortured, doused in petrol, and set alight. Mr Samel, 45, was kidnapped in March 2019 in Birmingham by three men claiming to be from Interpol, before being driven to the Liverpool area.
The attack was linked to the loss of illicit cigarettes worth £1m. HM Revenue and Customs had seized these cigarettes from a unit Mr Samel kept in Aston, Birmingham, in February 2019.
Neil Jones, 49, and Tobiasz Kozlowski, 38, were sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Judge Mr Justice Wall described them as the "organisers" with a "motive to punish" Mr Samel due to their financial stake in the missing cigarettes.
Kevin Wooden, 46, and Kye Arthur, 35, were found guilty of manslaughter and received sentences of 23 years and 22 years respectively. They had previously admitted conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison.
Mr Samel was stripped naked, had petrol thrown over him, and was set alight. He suffered extensive burns and died on 21 June 2019, almost three months after the attack.