A Cardiff thug ran a brutal and highly organised crime gang that kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured and blackmailed a man for a £100,000 ransom. In scenes reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino film, the masked members of the gang used weapons including guns, knives, and an "attack dog" along with techniques such as waterboarding to terrify and torment their victim.
Fortune Lawson, and a gang of criminal associates he recruited from London, abducted their victim in Cardiff. After torturing him in a flat, they took him to a safehouse in Hertfordshire while negotiations were conducted for cash in return for the man's life. It wasn't the first time Lawson, who goes by the street name Mills or Millz, and a gang of his thugs had abducted and tortured a man. At the time of the Cardiff incident he was being investigated by police in London for kidnapping and torturing and man - including pouring boiling water over him - to get cash.
Sending Lawson and his gang down at Cardiff Crown Court, where there was a heavy armed police presence outside, Judge Daniel Williams said the defendant believed himself to be "untouchable". He added: "Your hubris led you to believe (the victims) would not dare to go to the police, whatever you subjected them to.... The agony they must have went through must have been unimaginable and the extent of the torture broke them completely."
Christopher Rees KC, prosecuting, said the case involved a "highly sophisticated, targeted, and well-planned blackmail plot" which featured lethal weapons including guns and knives, vehicles on cloned number plates, the use of burner phones, torture and violence, and an armed gang travelling to Wales. He told the court that on December 11, 2020, a Cardiff man by the name of Ledio Ibrahimi received a text from his friend "Marcus" - an alias being used by Lawson - who suggested meeting up. Lawson ran an online food business call Soul Flavours and lived in the Grangetown area of Cardiff with his girlfriend, Ashley Emery. Mr Ibrahimi had known Lawson for around three years and had previously bought cannabis from him.
The pair met at around 5pm that afternoon and after buying cans of Red Bull and bottles of water Lawson suggested they go to "Alex's" to smoke cannabis. The court heard this was in fact just a ruse, and Lawson was actually leading his victim into an ambush involving a gang of armed thugs who had travelled down from London. The court heard Mr Ibrahimi was selected for the kidnapping because Lawson believed he could extort a large amount of money from him.
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Once at the flat in Odet Court in Whitchurch, the victim was set upon by Arnold Fumumeya, aka "Guns", AlexisMutesa, Davood Assadpour - who called himself "the Professor" after a character in the TV show Money Heist - Micaiah Marley, and Lawson's brother Gideon. All were all masked or wearing balaclavas.
The court heard the victim was stripped and bound, beaten, and repeatedly subjected to waterboarding. He was also threatened with guns and knives, with Marley holding a handgun to his head. The men told their victim they wanted £100,000 and they were going to take him to London until he paid up.
Meanwhile outside the block of flats, another Londoner, Ahmed Omar, acted as a lookout. The prosecutor said Omar and his Addison Lee liveried courier van provided "useful camouflage" for the activities of the gang. The court heard that while Mr Ibrahimi was being captive in the Odet Court flat another man, later identified Halim Vladi, was brought to the property. He too was beaten and held against his will but was left behind when the gang subsequently took Mr Ibrahimi away.
The prosecutor said that later night Mr Ibrahimi was taken from the flat at knife-point to a waiting Audi Q5 car where he was blindfolded and handcuffed. The Audi then left in a convoy with Lawson’s BMW and the Addison Lee van. The court heard they only got as far as the Cathays area of Cardiff before the convoy stopped - the gang were concerned at what they thought was a police helicopter flying overhead. The court heard that what they likely saw was in fact the Wales Air Ambulance helicopter on a training flight landing at the nearby University Hospital of Wales. Panicking, Fumumeya got out of the Q5 and threw several items including a wallet, phones, and a bin bag over the fence at Cathay cemetery fence.
The convoy drove off with the victim being held at knife-point and being told to keep his head down - if he tried to look up he was beaten. Eventually the convoy stopped and the victim was marched into a flat on Livingstone Walk in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire which belonged to an associate of the gang called Stephen Isaac. In the flat Mr Ibrahimi was handcuffed and then tied to a radiator with ropes and cable ties. The prosecutor said that in the property Marley was "particularly violent" as he "terrorised" the victim by holding a large knife to his face while boasting that he had been to prison and that had killed people. Mr Rees said this was part of the gang's "intimidation process". During the ordeal Assadpour also dragged his victim to the toilet and pushed his head into the bowl, and later waterboarded him before boiling a kettle and threatening to use boiling water in the waterboarding.
The court heard that phone calls were then made to associates of Mr Ibrahimi demanding a ransom for his return. The calls were made by Assadpour but orchestrated remotely by Denis Delishaj - who was referred to as "Coach" - who was on another phone and was translating what was said between Albanian an English using the speakerphone facility. Delishaj boasted that kidnapping people was what he did for a living. The prosecutor said Delishaj was a "master of manipulation" who issued threats to Ibrahimi and his family to secure the payment of the substantial ransom, and was a vital part of the plot as the gang needed someone who could speak Albanian. The barrister said: "75 Livingstone Walk in Hemel Hempstead was a safe house for the kidnap, torture, and imprisonment of Ibrahimi while the blackmail negotiations continued."
Fortune Lawson attended the flat in the early hours of the morning and began bragging that he had done similar kidnappings in other cities such as Sheffield and Leeds. The court heard he brought a "vicious attack dog" to the premises as "a further measure to control and threaten Ibrahimi".
The prosecutor said following the phone negotiations an agreement was reached with associates of Mr Ibrahimi to pay £50,000 for the release of the hostage, with Lawson making it clear that if the police were involved then the captive would be killed immediately. The rest of the day was spent making plans to collect the ransom from a property on Gatton Road, Bristol. Then in the early evening, Lawson and Marley set off to the West Country to pick up the cash telling to Ibrahimi it was "nothing personal just business" as they left.
However unknown to the gang, South Wales Police had been alerted to the kidnapping and a major operation was underway. The ransom demands from the gang had been handled by a specialist police hostage negotiator while detectives were hard at work trying to establish the location where the hostage was being held. At just before 11.30pm that night Lawson and Marley realised something had gone wrong with the ransom rendezvous in Bristol and Lawson rang the Hemel Hempstead property to say he was coming back to kill the victim - but at the exact moment armed officers from Hertfordshire Police were smashing their way into the house. A bruised, shaken and tearful Ibrahimi was released, and Assadpour and Isaac were arrested at the scene. Officers found an "attack dog" tied to a radiator and due to its extreme aggression it had to be out down. Officers also recovered a "Rambo" style hunting knife.
South Wales Police launched Operation Arbus to identify all those involved in the kidnapping which included extensive forensic examinations of the crime scenes as well as CCTV evidence and mobile phone analysis. The investigation led to the arrest of the other members of the kidnap gang - two of them as they were trying to leave the UK. You can read more about the work of South Wales Police's high-tech forensic lab here
The prosecutor said: "This is a complex case involving a sophisticated organised crime group specialising in kidnap, extortion, and blackmail. The defendants were part of a crack kidnap and extortion gang with ready access to lethal weapons including guns and 'Rambo' knives. They operated with military precision. They were forensically aware and took steps to hide their identities including the use of balaclavas and masks. The gang used threats of violence, violence, and torture to carry out their plan.
"Fortune Lawson was the ringleader and the mastermind behind the criminal enterprise. The other defendants played their part in the kidnapping, false imprisonment, torture, and blackmail of Ledio Ibrahimi. The gang had access to firearms and knives. Ibrahimi was repeatedly threatened by the group at gun point and knife point. The kidnapping was planned to secure a large ransom from associates of Ibrahimi. The members of the group clearly believed that associates of Ibrahimi had access to large amounts of cash. Ibrahimi was left in no doubt that if the group did not get their money, then he would be killed.
"The precise and expert co-ordination by the police of the Hemel Hempstead raid with the Bristol ransom drop made sure that the group did not have the opportunity to make good on their murderous threats."
Fortune Lawson was arrested on December 14, 2020, as he drove along the A41 Watford Way in Hendon, north London, in his black Mercedes A200. Ahmed Omar was arrested on the same day in Mitcham in south west London as he walked towards a black VW Transporter with Addison Lee markings.
Micaiah Marley was arrested at his flat in Watford on January 7, 2021. Officers recovered a stab vest and a black balaclava from the property. He had a kitchen knife under the pillow of his bed. Police subsequently executed a search warrant at the address of an associate of Marley in Brent in London and found a handgun with a Swastika symbol on the hand grip and a quantity of Yugoslavian-made bullets. Gideon Lawson was arrested the day after Marley at an address in Brent.
Denis Delishaj was arrested in the international departure lounge of Stansted Airport on February 19, 2021. He was found to be carrying £3,435 cash and 11,200 Albanian Leke worth around £79. Arnold Fumumeya was arrested at his mother’s address in Hackney, London, on July 1, 2021. Two week later Alexis Mutesa was arrested and after answering "no comment" to all questions asked during interview was released under investigation. He was arrested again at the outbound passport control at the Channel Tunnel in Kent on October 17, 2022. Recovered from his BMW vehicle was a stab vest, a knife, and false number plates.
Remarkably Mr Ibrahimi was not the first person Lawson had kidnapped and tortured for money. On the evening of Thursday, November 15, 2018, Lawson called a man he had befriend a few months earlier by he name of Mohammed Soraya on the pretence of discussing cannabis. Lawson picked up Mr Soraya near is home in Wimbledon in London in his Mercedes GLE - also in the car were two males who Mr Soraya did not known and who have never been identified. The men drove off and Mr Soraya was attacked where he sat in the back of the car - he was throttled and had his eyes gouged, and he was slashed with a knife. Mr Soraya was told if he shouted for help he wold be stabbed in the heart.
The court heard the victim was the blindfolded and tied up and taken to an address - police would later use mobile phone cell analysis to place this in Harrow in north west London - where he was beaten up by Lawson's "henchmen". Lawson then demanded money and family jewellery. When the victim said he didn't have money, he was slashed across the face with a knife. The demands for money continued and then a kettle of boiling water was poured over the man's groin - as he screamed in pain, a sock was forced into his mouth. Demands for cash continued and one of Lawson's associates boiled the kettle again and added sugar - such a boiling sugar solution sticks to the skin and causes terrible burns.
Eventually the victim agreed to ring a cousin and told him to get all the money he could from the house, put it into a holdall, and throw it out of the window when instructed. A female who has never been identified collected the bag which contained more than £5,000. Lawson then demanded a Rolex watch which he had seen the victim posting a picture of on social media. Again the victim was threatened and tortured before ringing his cousin and telling him to collect the Rolex from his sister's house in Croydon and leave it outside the property where it would be collected. The court heard that during his time at the property Mr Soroya had been "physically assaulted, threatened and tortured; he had been degraded and forced to urinate into a bucket."
The victim was then blindfolded, frogmarched back to the Merc, and driven off. He was dumped outside Kenton railway station in north west London from where he able to ring his brother for help. The ordeal lasted some seven or eight hours. The injured man was take to Northwick Park Hotel where he was found to have stab wounds to his arm and back, burns over eight per cent of his body including to his arm, abdomen, penis, and thighs, and swelling and bruising to his face.
The court heard Lawson had targeted his victim because he thought he would be a ready source of cash, and counted on the extreme violence used being enough to dissuade Mr Soraya from going to the police. But the police were alerted to the kidnapping and launched an investigation. They were able to access Lawson's Facebook account - which was under the name Millz Montana - and started piecing together phone contact between Lawson and the victim and the movements of Lawson's phone on the night in question. The identities of the two henchmen remain unknown. Lawson was arrested in relation to this offence on March 27, 2019.
Sentencing, Judge Williams said: "For the sake of yourselves and for society, it's severely hoped each of you can channel your different, abilities, energies and qualities into a positive direction and not to ruin others lives for gain. The court is bound to conclude and does conclude you're dangerous. The two facts of the separate offences cannot allow any other conclusion to be made. Anyone who plans and executes the kidnapping and torture victims using a gun and performing violence or threatening it, is by any definition dangerous."
Fortune Lawson, aged 27, of O'Leary Drive, Grangetown, Cardiff, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of five years. He and the majority of the defendants will serve two thirds of the custodial term before they are considered for release.
Arnold Fumumeya, aged 27, of Mary Close, Stanmore, Harrow, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of three years.
David Assadpour, aged 33, of Pinner Driver, Pinner, Harrow, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of four years.
Alexis Mutesa, aged 27, of Rucklidge Avenue, Brent, London, was to was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of three years.
Gideon Lawson, aged 24, of Windrush Road, Brent, London, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of three years.
Micaiah Marley, aged 30, of Leavesden Road, Watford, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of four years.
Denis Delishaj, aged 24, of Marshall Close, Harrow, was sentenced to eight years and eight months imprisonment. He will serve half of the sentence before he is released on licence.
Ahmed Omar, aged 29, of Armfield Crescent, Mitcham, Surrey, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.
Stephen Issac, aged 66, of Livingstone Walk, Hemel Hempstead, was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
Following the hearing, detective superintendent Darren George, head of South Wales Police Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Kidnap and the criminal use of firearms in South Wales is extremely rare and when they do happen, as this Organised Crime Group have found out, we are determined to go after those involved. This has been one of the UK’s most complicated kidnap investigations in recent times and it has taken nearly three years to convict these nine individuals. We hope our investment into this crime and sentences handed down send a clear message to those intent on bringing this sort of violence to our streets. We will relentlessly pursue you with everything at our disposal and you will go to jail.”
Jenny Hopkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS Cymru-Wales, said: "The torture suffered by the victims in this case is almost beyond belief. In their pursuit of money, those responsible were seemingly willing to inflict maximum suffering. The ringleader and mastermind, Fortune Lawson, planned the extortions like military operations. He targeted men who trusted him and who he had identified as possessing high-value goods or significant amounts of money. Others in the gang had varying roles – but each was aware of the terrifying ordeal the victims were being put through. They all took steps to avoid being implicated, including wearing masks, balaclavas and gloves. Thankfully these dangerous and violent men have now been brought to justice, but the suffering of the victims and the impact of their injuries goes on. I want to express my utmost gratitude to the victims for their courage in making statements and giving evidence in this case which ultimately enabled us to secure convictions.”
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